A Glenrothes carer has been warned by a watchdog after threatening to put a “moonboot up the a**e” of a service user.
She told another care home resident that she would “take those wheels off and stick them where the f****** sun doesn’t shine”.
Melissa Donaghy was employed as a bank carer by Abbotsford Care in Glenrothes when a series of incidents took place in 2022.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) said her actions showed a “pattern of behaviour over a number of months”.
The regulator placed a warning on her registration for one year.
Abbotsford Care said their former employee “does not reflect our values or standards”.
Glenrothes carer said she would stick wheels ‘where the f****** sun doesn’t shine’
The SSSC found evidence of four incidents of misconduct by Ms Donaghy between April and November 2022.
These were:
- On or around May 1 told a service user: “I’m just going to tell you,
I’m going to take those wheels off and stick them where the f****** sun
doesn’t shine”, or words to that effect. - Between April 28 and November 10, when a service user asked to go for a cigarette, said: “You have not long f****** been out, you will have to wait”, or words to that effect.
- On or around May 2 told a colleague in relation to a service user: “I’m going to set my moonboot and put it up his arse”, or words to that effect.
- On or around November 9 said: “You are stinking of s****”, or words to that effect, to a service user.
A report by the watchdog called Ms Donaghy’s behaviour “serious” and said it “falls well below the standards of conduct expected”.
Bank carer’s behaviour was ‘breach of trust’
The report continued: “The language you have used towards service users is abusive and threatening and may cause significant emotional harm.
“Abusive behaviour towards those in your care is a breach of the trust and confidence service users place on social service workers.”
It added: “Repeated behaviour of this nature suggests attitudinal and values issues.
“You have demonstrated a pattern of behaviour towards multiple service users over a prolonged period of time.
“You have shown limited insight into the seriousness of this matter.
“You have not provided reassurances that your behaviour would not occur again and
therefore the FtP (Fitness to Practice) Department and the wider public cannot be satisfied that the behaviour would not be repeated.”
A warning has been placed on her registration while a series of conditions must also be completed.
These include providing evidence that any employer knows about the conditions, undertaking refresher training, providing the SSSC with a reflective account of the incidents, and taking part in supervision sessions.
Abbotsford Care ‘took immediate action’
An Abbotsford Care statement said: “Upon discovering issues pertaining to the individual’s performance, we took immediate action by initiating an internal review and subsequently referring the matter to the appropriate regulatory body, the SSSC, for further investigation.
“The behaviour exhibited by the individual, who is a former employee of the organisation, does not reflect our values or standards.
“We appreciate the trust and confidence placed in us by our community, and we assure them that all necessary steps to address this matter were done so thoroughly and transparently.”
Ms Donaghy declined to comment.
