Jailed: Whipps Cross Hospital carers who physically and verbally abused patients Akousa Sakyiwaa and Sharmila Gunda were both found guilty of neglect Sakyiwaa, 38, was jailed for 12 months at Snaresbrook Crown Court Sharmila Gunda, 36, was given a five month prison sentence Pair worked on the Beech Ward at Whipps Cross Hospital in East London Two healthcare assistants who abused elderly female patients on the geriatric ward of a hospital were jailed today. Akousa Sakyiwaa, 38, was convicted of four counts of ill-treatment and neglect of patients on Beech Ward at Whipps Cross University Hospital in Leytonstone, east London, between February and April last year. Sharmila Gunda, 36, was found guilty of one count of neglect and one count of assault by beating an elderly patient in her care following a trial in June. Behind bars: Akousa Sakyiwaa, 38, pictured left, was jailed for 12 months for four counts of ill-treatment and neglect of patients while Sharmila Gunda, 36, pictured right, was given a five month prison sentence for one count of neglect and one count of assault by beating an elderly patient in her care Sakyiwaa, of Leytonstone, was jailed for 12 months while Gunda, of Ilford, was given a five month prison sentence at London's Snaresbrook Crown Court. Fellow healthcare assistant Annette Jackson, 33, of Hounslow, west London, was given a two month suspended sentence and ordered to complete 100 hours unpaid work after being convicted of one count of ill-treatment or neglect. Spared jail: Healthcare assistant Annette Jackson, 33, was given a two-month suspended sentence for neglecting patient Barbara Jones Delivering his sentence, Judge Timothy Lamb QC said the women's actions had 'damaged patient trust' in the NHS. Addressing the defendants, Mr Lamb said: 'In short, by your offending you have let down your colleagues, you have damaged patient trust and you have undermined the quality of care for the elderly and vulnerable at Whipps Cross.' The three women were charged following a Metropolitan Police inquiry into the hospital after a student nurse acted as a whistleblower. The women would physically and verbally abuse patients, often telling them to shut up, as well as handling them in a rough and aggressive manner, police said. Sakyiwaa, of Leytonstone, Jackson, of Hounslow; and Gunda, of Ilford, were responsible for looking after elderly female patients with various physical and mental conditions including dementia. June Evans, who is wheelchair bound, was the only patient still alive or well enough to come to court to give evidence against them. The other patients are too ill or suffer from dementia. In a statement read to the court, she said: 'Since the incident that took place last year I have completely lost trust in the health service. The incidents occurred between February 27 to April 30 last year on Beech Ward at Whipps Cross Hospital in east London I lost faith in my GP, the ambulance service and hospitals in general. Ms Evans discharged herself from the hospital following the assault and was in a state of distress when she had to return to Whipps Cross for further treatment. 'I wanted to die,' she said. 'I thought why couldn't I have a heart attack and end it.' A police inquiry into alleged offences committed against a health campaigner who highlighted failings at a scandal-plagued hospital has been unable to identify those responsible. Staffordshire Police said it had finished detailed inquiries into offences reported by Cure the NHS founder Julie Bailey, whose mother Bella died at Stafford Hospital in 2007. Ms Bailey, who battled to expose hundreds of needless deaths at the hospital, moved out of Stafford earlier this year following the desecration of her mother's grave. The campaigner believes the threats made against her by some local people, which also included on-line abuse, were politically-motivated. Officers from Staffordshire Police, which will reopen its inquiry if new evidence comes to light, are still appealing for information. In a statement issued by the force, a police spokesman said: 'After seeing media reports about alleged incidents, we immediately contacted Ms Bailey to get further information. 'Detectives were made aware of a number of issues, including damage to flowers and vases at her mother's grave. Clearly, such offences are completely unacceptable. We began an investigation which involved taking witness statements, carrying out inquiries at incident locations and examining CCTV footage. 'We've now finished our detailed inquiries and, at this stage, we have not been able to recover evidence which could help us identify offenders.' A public inquiry into 'appalling' failings at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which published its final report in February, found that hundreds of patients were mistreated at the trust between 2005 and 2009. Previous reports into the Trust estimated that as many as 1,200 patients may have died needlessly while in its care. Administrators recommended last month that the Trust should be dissolved and some services at Stafford Hospital should be cut. In a statement, Ms Bailey said she was disappointed people had seen fit to abuse her for attempting to bring to light problems in the NHS. 'One of the biggest problems at Mid Staffordshire is still the denial about what happened and that is what's led to me being abused,' she said. Sakyiwaa was found guilty of holding a bed sheet over 87-year-old Joan Massett's head and telling her she was dead. She pushed Ms Massett's breasts in another incident and forcefully twisted her mouth which was both 'demeaning and completely unnecessary'. Sakyiwaa shouted at 88-year-old patient Elizabeth Toussaint to force her to sit in a chair and slapped Louise Hodges, 92, after cleaning her, the hearing was told. Jackson was found guilty of one count of neglecting patient Barbara Jones, while Gunda was found guilty of one charge of neglect and one charge of assault by beating June Evans. Jurors heard the healthcare assistants were arrested after a student nurse Lucy Brown whistleblew on them following a placement on the ward last Spring. John McNally, prosecuting, said: 'The conduct complained of simply had no place on any ward. It cannot be justified. Snaresbrook Crown Court heard 92-year-old Lily Oliver was admitted to the ward on March 27, 2012, suffering from septic arthritis in her left knee. Mr McNally told jurors: 'She was bed bound and extremely frail and it is the expert's professional opinion that she suffered from dementia and wasn't able to make her own decisions. During the time she was on Beech Ward she was under the care of Akousa Sakyiwaa. Lucy Brown described Akousa Sakyiwaa as being extremely rough with Lily Oliver. 'In the course of one encounter Lucy Brown noted that when Miss Oliver's bandages were removed Miss Oliver said "mind my leg." After that Akousa Sakyiwaa grabbed her left knee with both her hands and pushed it towards Lucy Brown. This caused her to scream in pain and turn pale before falling silent. That, we say, is what constitutes ill treatment for that count. Opening the case, Mr McNally said: 'The prosecution case is they variously ill treated patients either by positive actions towards them or by failing to look after them when they should have. The defendants worked on a geriatric ward and were trusted to provide the most basic tasks. There is little doubt some of these would have been unpleasant and that elderly and demented patients could be obstructive. However, this factor only serves to highlight the vulnerability of these patients and outline the fact that providing care professionally was the responsibility of each defendant. An entitlement for proper care should not be a matter of chance given at the whim of the carer. The court heard the ward has since closed down following a Metropolitan Police investigation into alleged abuse. Barts Health NHS trust, which runs the hospital, apologised to patients following the verdicts and stressed it had a 'zero tolerance approach' to any form of neglect or ill-treatment. Co-defendants: Sharmila Gunda (left) Gunda was found guilty of one charge of neglect and one charge of assault by beating June Evans while Annette Jackson (right) was found guilty of one count of neglecting patient Barbara Jones In a statement, the trust said: 'We apologise unreservedly to the patients of Beech Ward and their families for the indefensible failings in their treatment during their time in our care. There can be no place under any circumstances for such behaviour in our trust or in the wider NHS. It added that following an internal disciplinary investigation all three women had their contracts of employment terminated. Healthcare worker Akousa Sakyiwaa placed a sheet over one patient's head and told her she was dead It added: 'We take a zero tolerance approach to any form of neglect or ill-treatment of our patients and applaud the student nurses who showed courage and integrity in raising the alarm. It is the duty of every member of staff to report such behaviour and we will actively encourage and support this through our whistleblowing policy which is made clear to all staff on day one of their employment with the Trust, with ongoing reminders to existing staff during regular statutory and mandatory training. Moreover, we will take action against any member of staff who turns a blind eye, or fails to take immediate and appropriate action, if they witness any form of abuse or negligence. Barts Health NHS Trust was issued with three formal warnings last week after inspectors found 'unsafe' conditions at Whipps Cross including filthy maternity wards and water placed out of the reach of elderly patients. The trust had 'failed to protect the safety and welfare of patients' and must now make 'urgent improvements' following unannounced inspections in May and June, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) said. Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Tammy Dempsey, from the Met's Community Safety Unit in Waltham Forest, said: 'These three women had a responsibility for the welfare of those who were under their care. The public and families of these elderly patients have a right to expect that they will be treated with respect and looked after in an appropriate manner. 'Gunda, Jackson and Sakyiwaa let everyone down and it's right that they have been found guilty at court. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who had the courage to come forward and report these offences and give their evidence in court. John McNally, prosecuting, told the jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court that the three women were responsible for looking after elderly female patients with various physical and mental conditions including dementia