Caregiver Banned After Abusing Elderly Patient and Falsifying Information

A Scottish caregiver, Cara MacLennan, has been banned from the profession after taking a disrespectful photo of an elderly patient. The incident occurred at Eilean Dubh Care Home in Fortrose last year. MacLennan, 20, posed next to the senior citizen while they were on the toilet and flashed a "v" for victory sign.

MacLennan shared the image on Snapchat, adding mocking captions. The photo was then spread further by a friend on Facebook, gaining widespread attention. The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) responded by removing MacLennan's caring credentials, deeming her actions as "abuse."

The SSSC's ruling condemned MacLennan's actions, stating, "You have taken a selfie photograph of a resident and thereafter added derogatory remarks about her, before sending this to a friend via a social media platform." The ruling continued, "Your behaviour of sending the photograph had consequences, whereby these were posted by a third person on a public Facebook page which caused concern to the public in general."

"Your behaviour therefore amounts to an abuse of trust and showed a level of disregard for the Codes of Practice and amounted to abuse of a vulnerable resident."

The hearing also revealed that MacLennan had falsified information on a job application. She falsely claimed to have left a previous role due to another job offer, when in reality, she had been terminated. Furthermore, she failed to disclose that she was under investigation by the SSSC. The panel stated, "You were dismissed from your employment and failed to disclose the reason for this dismissal which shows a level of dishonesty and concealment. You also demonstrated a lack of integrity by not disclosing that you were subject to a SSSC investigation."

"The SSSC considers a Removal Order is 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.