A medical tribunal heard how a patient recovering from a brain injury was left in urine-soaked sheets and had his feeding tubes cleaned with a Biro pen.

The family of Sevenoaks man Grant Clarke became so concerned about his treatment at the West Kent Neuro Rehabilitation Unit in 2013, they set up secret cameras.

The 45-year-old was left paralysed down the left-hand side of his body after suffering a large brain haemorrhage in 2012.

He was treated at two major hospitals before being sent to the rehabilitation unit in Hospital Road.

Family members noticed a significant change in the father-of-three's demeanour after arriving and he began to claim that staff were mistreating him.

Mr Clarke's wife Binny planted a covert camera in an iPod docking station and was shocked at what it captured.

Footage showed her husband being left to lie in his own urine for hours and staff pulling a help buzzer from his hands.

Sections were aired on BBC Newsnight in 2013 and showed nurses attempting to clean his feeding tube with a biro pen and giving him water five times over the space of two nights, despite him being on a nil by mouth diet.

Family members also claimed staff spoke to Mr Clarke, who is the director of an IT company, very inappropriately and sternly.

At the time issues were raised, a spokesman for Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust said it was "appalled" at the shocking footage and it has subsequently apologised for its failings.

In a statement to Newsnight the trust added: "We subsequently created a robust action plan to address all concerns," and said that compulsory, specialist training for all staff had been introduced.

Mr Clarke was only switched to another unit after the footage was shown to police. He was moved under a court order.

Out of 26 complaints made to the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, 22 were upheld.

As a result of the covert recordings, nurses Marie Banwell, Sarah Coulter and Vanessa Kennard were charged with misconduct.

The trio appeared at a Nurse and Midwifery medical tribunal hearing in London yesterday.

They are facing a number of allegations including failure to ensure that staff were using a different bowl to wash the patient's genitals and face, failure to ensure staff were complying with infection control measures and telling Mr Clarke to stop using his call buzzer.

While being treated, Binny also attempted to speak to Marie Banwell about "unacceptable care" on the unit, but she allegedly replied "point taken, but do bear in mind that we have eight other patients".

The hearing continues and is expected to last two weeks.

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