I came to within an inch of losing my job because of this behaviour. Thankfully I was able to salvage it by agreeing to be submitted to various tests (not really wanting to go into details, as it may go against me) - to clarify, I was the target, not the perpetrator; I read back and realised I made it sound like *I* did the bullying...
I did get removed from the caregiver role and lose any possibility of a traineeship. Small-minded people have nothing better to do than complain and whinge and cause trouble, that's what it comes down to.
All you can do is keep on keeping on. Distance yourself from the troublemakers, make sure you cover your backside wherever possible through documentation and written reports (never rely on word-of-mouth, write EVERYTHING down), and wait for it to blow over. Troublemakers always dig their own grave eventually.