Inverness care worker caused resident pain ‘without reason’
An Inverness care worker has received a formal warning after removing a catheter from an individual without having a reason to do so.
A report by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) found that Madiha Saleem undertook the action while employed as a health care assistant by Newcross Healthcare Solutions Ltd on or around December 10 last year.
Details of exactly where they were working when the incident occurred was redacted from the judgement published online, but the SSSC said their actions had caused a resident - referred to only as AA - pain .
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Their fitness to practise was impaired, they said, because: “Social service workers must not harm people who use services and should work in a safe and effective way.
“You removed a resident’s indwelling catheter during personal care, when there was no requirement for you to do so.
“The resident advised you she was experiencing pain and discomfort when you were removing her catheter, yet you continued with what you were doing.
“You did not seek advice from your colleagues to confirm that what you were doing was correct.
“The resident suffered bleeding and distress as a result of your actions.
“As well as causing the resident to suffer both physical and emotional harm, your actions in removing the resident’s catheter placed the resident at risk of developing an infection.”
However they also noted that it appeared to be an isolated incident by someone “relatively inexperienced” in their role.
And they added: “You have taken up new employment within the social services sector since this incident occurred and have been working in that role since January 2024.
“Your new employer has provided a reference in support of your practice.”
They said: You have acknowledged your mistake and identified what you would do differently in the future if you were unsure about how best to support an individual.
“You have apologised and regret that your actions caused harm to the resident.”
A warning has been placed on Madiha Saleem’s registration for a period of one year.
