Fighting staff at care home given warning

Resident left on toilet‘at risk of harm’

Two Crieff care home workers have been sanctioned for fighting with each other while they should have been looking after a resident they left unattended on a toilet.

Ruth Elder and Stacey Creelman have both received warnings which will stay on their records for 12 months after coming to blows at an unnamed facility in the town on or around July 20, 2020.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) imposed the sanction on both women after finding their fighting had left a vulnerable service user “at risk of potential harm” and demonstrated “a disregard for her safety, wellbeing and maintaining her dignity”.

Decision notices published by the body, which referred to the resident only as AA, said of both Elder and Creelman: “You allowed a personal conflict within the workplace to cloud your judgement and impact your professional decision -making.

“Your actions were a reactionary response to an isolated heightened situation. However, your actions had the potential to cause harm to AA and [each other] and breached the trust and confidence placed in you. You demonstrated poor personal and professional judgement, resulting in an avoidable situation.”

The SPSO also said Elder demonstrated “limited insight, remorse or reflection” into her behaviour in 2020 and there was “little evidence” she fully understood its concerns about her conduct.

It further found that although Creelman had shown “some remorse” over her actions she stated during an employer investigation she would act “in the same manner” if she ever found herself in a similar situation again.

The SPSO said of both women in its decision reports: “You have been employed in the sector for two years and have sufficient experience to understand the standards of practice expected of you.

“The conduct occurred inside the workplace in an environment where service users are entitled to feel safe and cared for. Colleagues are also entitled to feel safe and supported.

“While there was no direct harm to AA, you created an avoidable situation where there was potential for harm. Your actions would have likely caused physical and emotional harm to [each other].

According to the decision notices both women were informed in writing in March this year they were receiving warnings for their behaviour that would stay on their registrations for 12 months. The warnings came into effect at the end of last month.