Carer struck off after pulling elderly woman by the hair in Falkirk

A carer has been struck off after pulling an elderly woman by the hair in Falkirk.

Karen Grant was working as a carer for HC-One Limited at Barleystone when a number of incidents occurred in December 2021.

An investigation by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), found that that the carer pulled a resident, referred to as AA, “upwards” and “downwards” by the hair.

The carer was also found to have sat on AA’s lap and pull her leg upwards and admitted to stating “it’s like shoeing a horse”.

The watchdog spoke to a number of Ms Grant’s colleagues who confirmed the incidents.

One colleague, referred to as ZZ, said she was “upset” by what she witnessed when working with the carer and is still affected by it.

The decision report said that ZZ explained that AA was on the toilet, and she was at one side with YY at the other when the incident occurred.

“She and YY were there to soothe AA as she could lash out and did not like personal care.

“She confirmed the content of her statements to her employer, to the SSSC and to Police Scotland as accurate accounts of what occurred.”

Another colleague, YY, confronted Ms Grant during the “awful” incident in which AA’s hair was pulled.

“YY told you that was enough after you pulled AA’s hair but you said ‘she’s getting washed’ or something to that effect.

“YY was clear that the incident was so awful she could not possibly have made it up. She tried to get in contact with the manager all weekend.

“She finally got in touch with XX who met her and ZZ in a car park on the Sunday where they reported the incident.”

The report from SSSC said that Ms Grant’s actions were “abusive” to AA and caused emotional harm.

It also stated that AA said that “she would tell her daddy” which was noted as a sign of distress in her care plan.

The watchdog said that Ms Grant put herself and AA at “unnecessary risk” and cause distress to her colleagues.

Ms Grant did not appear at the hearings and the SSSC said she failed to show insight into the failings in her work.

A spokesperson for Barleystone said: “Our priority is keeping those in our care safe and well, and supporting them to live with dignity. The behaviour exhibited by Ms Grant is completely unacceptable and goes against our fundamental values of kindness and respect.

“We reported Ms Grant to the relevant authorities including the Scottish Social Services Council and Police Scotland when this incident first occurred in 2021, and have worked closely with them since to support their investigations. Ms Grant has not worked in our home since this matter came to light.

“We support the decision made by the SSSC today and will always support action taken against those who do not treat elderly people in care with dignity and respect.”