A CARE WORKER who mistreated an elderly resident with dementia at a West Fife nursing home has been struck off.

Pauline Wilson was convicted at Dunfermline Sheriff Court in February of ill-treating or wilfully neglecting the patient by intentionally spraying water in her face at the Henderson House Care Home in Dalgety Bay.

She also, on various occasions between January 1 and December 31, 2019, behaved in a threatening or abusive manner at the home by shouting, swearing and uttering derogatory and offensive comments.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) last week removed Wilson’s registration after finding that her fitness to practice had been impaired.

They said her actions were “incompatible” with professional registration.

The decision hearing stated: “Your convictions show a disregard for the law and a lack of self-control that raises concerns about your suitability to work with vulnerable people.

“Your convictions relate to abusive behaviour which was likely to cause emotional and physical harm to service users. Acting in an abusive manner toward service users is incompatible with professional registration and violates fundamental tenets of the social services profession.

"This behaviour demonstrates an abuse of the trusted position that social service worker holds. This is not behaviour that would be expected from a person registered with the SSSC and risks bringing into disrepute the social services profession.”

The SSSC said Wilson had not engaged with their investigation and further factors of concern were that her offences took place during work and the behaviour was not an isolated incident.

It added: “Your behaviour was an abuse of the trust placed in you by the user of services, their family, your employer, the SSSC and the profession.”

As previously reported in the Press, Wilson stood trial at Dunfermline Sheriff Court and was found guilty of two charges.

Sheriff Wyllie Robertson told her the offences were “a gross breach of trust” and said a custodial sentence had been at the forefront of his consideration.

However, as she was a first offender, he instead imposed a community payback order with the maximum amount of unpaid work, 300 hours.

The court heard Wilson’s employment at the home was terminated following an internal investigation.