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Inverness care worker removed from Scottish Social Services Council register following conviction for assault on disabled resident


By Val Sweeney

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Care worker Christine Grant has been removed from the Scottish Social Services Council register.
Care worker Christine Grant has been removed from the Scottish Social Services Council register.

An Inverness care worker convicted of an assault on a disabled resident has been struck off.

Christine Grant held a towel over the face of a man with a brain injury and complex needs for five or six seconds to stop him from spitting on her.

She was reported to the management at the Manor Care Centre in Nairn and sacked before being charged by police with assault.

Grant, who was convicted at Inverness Sheriff Court in March, has now been removed from the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) register.

The council found her fitness to practise was impaired because of the conviction.

In its ruling, it stated: "Your fitness to practise is impaired because social services workers are expected to not abuse, neglect or harm people who use services.

"You have been convicted of the assault of a service user in relation to an incident that occurred while at work where you pushed and held a towel against their nose and mouth.

"Your behaviour was likely to have caused the service user distress and emotional harm.

"People who use services rely on a caring and professional relationship and have to place their trust in this relationship.

"Your conviction is an abuse of that trust and as such your actions are fundamentally incompatible with professional registration."

In removing her registration, the SSSC said her conduct was serious and occurred inside work.

It also noted that she was an experienced social care worker and the behaviour exhibited by the service user was not unusual.

In her favour, it said she had no previous history of misconduct with the SSSC and it was an isolated incident.

It concluded: "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 and the SSSC as the regulator of the profession."


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