A senior Fife care worker who swore at a resident and told another to “shut up” has been sanctioned.
Debbie Laing also shouted at a third resident to “get out of the way”.
She was working as a senior carer with Holmes Care Group at an unnamed location in Cupar at the time.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) said her actions showed a “serious lack of patience and tolerance”.
The watchdog placed a warning on Laing’s registration for two years.
The incidents took place on or around October 23 2022.
Care home resident told to ‘put your f****** teeth in’ by Fife worker
A report by the SSSC said Laing told one resident to “shut up” when she cried out after her leg had banged into a table.
The carer also shouted at another resident to “come on just put your f****** teeth in”, or words to that effect.
During the same shift, she shouted at a third resident to “get out of the way”, or words to that effect.
The regulator found her fitness to practise was impaired due to the incidents.
The SSSC report said that the tone and language used were “abusive, derogatory, and dismissive”.
The report added: “It (the language) showed a serious lack of patience and tolerance towards the vulnerable people who trusted you to care for them with kindness.
“Your conduct placed the three residents at risk of emotional harm.”
However, it went on to say that the comments appeared to be delivered in “frustration or anger rather than vindictively”.
Fife care worker handed two-year warning
The watchdog added that the behaviour appeared to be a “spontaneous response” rather than deliberate.
The SSSC considered the risk of a repeat to be “relatively low” but said the public “would be alarmed and concerned” by the carer’s actions.
Laing had worked in the care sector for 10 years before the incident with no issues.
She had denied the conduct at an SSSC hearing.
The SSSC imposed a two-year warning on Laing’s registration as a supervisor in a care home for adults.
A spokesperson for Holmes Care Group said: “The welfare of the residents who make their home with us is our utmost priority.
“These historic incidents were raised to the management by a fellow employee at Kingdom Homes, who operated the home at the time.
“The carer in question was immediately suspended pending an investigation, during which she resigned.
“The SSSC has recognised that these were isolated incidents and not typical of the carer in question.
“Nonetheless, Holmes Care Group would like to place on record that this type of behaviour has no place in the communities that we operate.”
