A Paisley carer has been struck off after she failed to seek medical attention for an elderly woman suffering from dementia who fractured two fingers.
Louise Clark was employed as a social care worker at Nightingale House in Paisley when she caused a vulnerable elderly person in her care to have their hand trapped between their wheelchair and a table.
An investigation carried out by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) found the incident took place on or around September 22, 2023 while Clark was assisting the resident known as ‘AA’.
As a result of what happened, the elderly woman suffered bruising and two fractured fingers.
The investigation discovered that Clark didn’t seek medical attention for the injuries to the woman’s hand and failed to report the incident to her employer. The SSSC stated she “deliberately sought to mislead her employer by withholding this information”.
The watchdog published a report on Clark’s failures and said she acted “dishonestly”.
In the document, Clark was told: “You caused a vulnerable elderly person in your care to have their hand trapped between their wheelchair and a table.
“This caused them to suffer an injury which you failed to seek medical attention for. You didn’t report this injury to your superiors. This caused the resident physical harm, and likely caused them emotional harm, over an extended period.
“You acted in this way in an attempt to stop the incident being discovered so you would not suffer any personal consequences. That raises serious concerns over your integrity and values as a person trusted to care and support vulnerable people.
“These combined actions raise serious questions over your suitability to work in a caring profession.”
When making its decision on an outcome, the SSSC considered factors of concern and factors in Clark’s favour. The report continued: “She has shown no empathy towards the person she was supporting.
“Her actions led to a delay in the person she was supporting receiving medical treatment and this delay is likely to have caused the resident continued pain and suffering.
“She failed to report the incident to try to avoid the consequences of her actions and she has showed little insight into her actions and has offered no apology.”
The only factor that went in Clark’s favour was that this was seen as an “isolated incident”. The watchdog had a range of sanctions open to it but struck Clark off from the profession’s register.
Within the report, it stated a warning would not be appropriate as the behaviour is “extremely serious”. It read: “A warning would give no protection to service users or the public from the risk Clark poses.”
The SSSC considered a removal order was the most appropriate sanction as it is both “necessary and justified” in the public interest and to maintain the continuing trust and confidence in the social service profession.
The removal notice came into effect on December 17, 2024.
Don’t miss the latestRenfrewshire headlines –sign up to our free daily newsletter here