Dunfermline carer sacked after withdrawing £10k from service user’s bank account

A Dunfermline carer was sacked after she withdrew £10,000 from a service user’s bank account without her permission.

Wendy Hume was employed as a support worker by Leonard Cheshire Disability at the time of the incidents between December 2021 and October 2022.

Without consent, she withdrew funds totalling £10,150 from a service user’s bank account.

Watchdog the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) launched a probe, and has now found that her actions could have placed the service user at risk of harm by “depriving her of her funds”.

The regulator has now struck Hume off as a care worker

Dunfermline carer withdrew £10k from service user’s bank account in ‘serious abuse of trust’

No details have been revealed on what Hume did with the money.

The watchdog considered several “factors of concern” when making its decision.

These included that Hume had not apologised for her actions and that her behaviour was a “serious abuse of the trust” placed in her by the client and her employer.

In a report on the decision, the Dundee-headquartered SSSC said: “Your actions in taking money from a service user was dishonest.

“As a result of this behaviour, you could have placed that service user at risk of harm by depriving her of funds.

“In addition to this, you have placed the reputation of the profession at risk of damage and undermined the public confidence in the profession.”

Care worker ‘planned each incident in advance’, says watchdog

The regulator said that there was a “significant degree of planning” involved in the Dunfermline carer’s actions.

The report said: “You took steps to remove the service user’s bank card from their home and use it when you knew the service user was not at home.”

The SSSC said a removal order was the “most appropriate sanction” and was “necessary and justified in the public interest”.

It added: “This is due to the seriousness of the behaviour involving an abuse of a position of trust and financial abuse.”

A spokesperson for Leonard Cheshire Disability said: “The wellbeing and safety of people using our services is always our priority.

“We note the decision of the SSSC relating to this former staff member who was dismissed in February 2023.

“The staff member was suspended as soon as concerns were raised.

“Police, the local authority and Care Inspectorate were all notified immediately.

“We will always take robust action to protect the security and safety of people we support.”

The outcome of the report to police has not been confirmed.