A MEMBER of staff has been sacked and another suspended from a private care home after allegations were made to police.

Cleveland Police are investigating the allegations at South View Independent Hospital, West Avenue, Billingham.

The care home specialises in caring for people with Alzheimer's and dementia and passed an inspection last year.

Police would not reveal the exact nature of the investigation, but one member of staff has already been sacked by owners Barchester Healthcare.

It is believed the investigators are concentrating on the 15 Hazeldene Unit at the care home.

A police spokesman said: "We can confirm that we are investigating a number of allegations made at a care home in Billingham area. Inquiries are ongoing."

a manager at South View, clearly upset, declined to comment.

However, a spokesman for Barchester Healthcare confirmed the allegations had been made.

She said: "We can confirm one member of staff has been dismissed after a full investigation and disciplinary process and one other is currently suspended.

"The senior management team is working closely with the relevant authorities. As the investigation is ongoing we are not able to make further comment at this time."

The care home was rated "good" in an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in January 2010.

David Fryer, regional communications manager for the CQC explained that all allegations go to the police first but the organisation would be monitoring the situation before deciding what action to take. He stressed that checking whether staff are recruited properly was always a key part of any inspection. That included ensuring that enhanced Criminal Record Bureau checks were made.

He said: "These sort of incidents do occur and on too regular a basis. We let the police investigation run its course but it will appear on our risk log and we will decide if this is something we should prioritise sooner rather than later."

Most residents at the unit are jointly funded by Stockton Borough Council and North Tees Primary Care Trust, the lead organisation for mental health care.

A spokesman for North Tees Primary Care Trust said: "We will continue to work very closely with partners including Barchester Care, Stockton Council and the Care Quality Commission to investigate concerns and to ensure the safety of patients and residents of South View care home."