Care home nurse used alcohol to "quieten" residents A CARE home nurse has been suspended after giving whisky to elderly residents, including recovering alcoholics. Heather Susan Thompson gave the drinks to nursing home residents in a bid to "quieten them down." However, one elderly woman spat the whisky out, saying it was "too strong," and others became aggressive. The nurse was also found to have verbally abused an elderly man who had wet himself, a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearing found. Ms Thompson was sacked from her job at the Bupa-run Hill View Care Home in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire. The NMC panel found 14 charges of misconduct against her proved, but decided not to ban her from the profession, opting instead for a one-year suspension. The charges included giving alcohol to five residents at the home in June 2010. Two were given alcohol despite suffering from Korsakoff's syndrome, a brain disorder caused by alcohol abuse. One of Ms Thompson's colleagues at the home said the nurse gave her a beaker containing what she thought was cranberry juice to give to a female resident. The colleague, referred to only as Ms 1, said: "[The resident] immediately spat the liquid out everywhere ... and said that it was too strong. I then smelled the beaker and realised it was alcohol and not cranberry juice. The NMC panel said in its report on the case: "They [residents] were provided with alcohol even in light of their previous alcohol addiction." A Bupa spokeswoman said: "Our residents" well-being is our number one priority. We dismissed and referred Heather Thompson to the NMC more than two years ago when she failed to meet the high standards of care we expect.