A former care worker in Angus has been struck off after he physically and verbally abused residents at a home he worked in.
A hearing by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) found Mark Nicholas had put several residents “at risk of physical and emotional harm” while working in Brechin.
His behaviour at the facility, which has not been named, has been described as “very serious”, “inappropriate” and “an abuse of trust”.
The SSSC hearing found that Nicholas “acted in an abusive manner” towards residents “in their own home, where they should feel safe and protected”.
Six incidents from his time as a senior care assistant at an Tamaris (South East) Limited facility in Brechin were proved at the hearing.
All took place between July and December 2019.
‘She is too fat’
The report said on or around November 26 2019, a resident, identified as BB, was becoming incontinent.
Nicholas brought a bucket and mop into their room and shouted “you can clean up your own mess” and “clean this up you filthy cow”.
On the same day, one of his colleagues, called ZZ in the report, told him another resident, identified as CC, had not received her lunch.
Nicholas did not give her any and said “she doesn’t need it, she is too fat”.
In a separate incident Nicholas kicked a hoist colleague ZZ was holding, causing her wrist to bruise.
He then lifted a resident identified as AA by her waist and pushed her legs to make them move.
Caused distress to residents
On or around December 9, 2019 a resident identified in the report as DD had fallen and Nicholas failed to alert the duty nurse.
He is then reported to have lifted her by her arms in a rough manner and put forcefully put her into a chair.
His actions “caused DD’s trousers to move down and expose her thighs” which distressed the resident.
The report describes Nicholson’s behaviour as “physical abuse of a vulnerable person” that “placed resident DD at a risk of physical and emotional harm”.
It says his shouting at residents BB and DD “amounts to verbal abuse”.
Nicholson did not show “any insight, regret or remorse” for his actions and his behaviour was “a pattern of inappropriate conduct over a period of several
months”.
“Given the attitudinal nature of your behaviour and the number of incidents involving different residents over a prolonged period of time, the SSSC considers that the risk of repetition is high,” the report said.
“You have abused the trust placed in you by the public, users of services and their families.
“Your behaviour placed residents and a colleague at a risk of emotional and in some instances, physical harm.
“A finding of impairment is necessary to reflect the seriousness of your actions, to protect the public and to uphold public confidence in the profession.”
Nicholas has been removed from the SSSC register.