The committee heard that the woman regarded Ms Burwood as a friend and believed she had “learned from her mistakes”, however, had told safeguarding staff she was shocked and disappointed by the amount that had been spent from her account.
In written statements to the panel, Ms Burwood said: “I now recognise that, even where a gift is offered voluntarily or with good intentions, as was the case here for me, accepting anything beyond a trivial token can compromise, or appear to compromise, professional judgment.
“[The elderly woman] was not only someone I later encountered in a professional context, but someone I had known for many years and came to see as a dear friend and grandmother-type figure.
“I had no understanding of the scope of an LPA and now recognise that this was a major failing on my part.”
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