Careworker whocadged OAPs for cash struck off
A VIOLENT care home support worker who cadged cash off vulnerable OAPs and people with disabilities has been struck off.
An inquiry was told Jose Jack, “repeatedly” harassed people under his care for money while employed at Victoria House Care Home in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, which looks after elderly people suffering from dementia.
A hearing of the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) found he had abused the “power and trust” placed in him as a social service worker and had placed vulnerable people at risk of emotional and financial harm.
The council said: “Service users have the right to be treated with dignity and respect and protected from harm by social service workers in whom they and the public have placed their trust. It is behaviour which is incompatible with registration in the longer term.”
In another incident, outwith the home, Mr Jack grabbed the arm of someone, “known to him’, pulled them off a couch and pinned them to the floor, before taking their ring and mobile phone.
He also took the individual’s bank card and car without permission.
Mr Jack was convicted of behaving in a threatening, abusive and aggressive manner,” on July 7, 2016, at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
The SSSC said the incident gave rise to “serious concerns” that he might behave in a similar way with vulnerable care home residents and was “incompatible” with remaining on the register of social service workers.
The hearing panel said: “Grabbing ZZ’s, arm, pulling ZZ to the floor and pinning ZZ to the floor represented a loss of self-control and aggressive and violent behaviour, which is incompatible with the conduct expected of a registered worker. This behaviour was likely to cause physical harm to ZZ.
“This loss of control gives rise to serious concerns about your attitude and ability to control your temper when faced with a challenging situation.”
The support worker was found to have breached 11 parts of the code of practice for social service workers.
Another charge states that he failed to stop when the vehicle he was driving collided with another vehicle, on May 28, 2016 and also drove under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Mr Jack has lost his registration as a support worker, following a hearing by the SSSC which said he had failed to engage with the disciplinary process and had failed to disclose a criminal conviction.
The incidents happened while Mr Jack was employed as a support worker, from April 2016 to August 2016.