Aberdeenshire carer issued warning after changing vulnerable man's soiled clothing in public

An Aberdeenshire carer has been given a warning after she called a non-verbal, vulnerable service user derogatory terms and failed to protect his dignity in a public area.

Martina Robinson was employed as a support worker in Macduff in August 2021, when the incidents occurred.

The service user AA – kept anonymous to protect his identity – requires 24-hour care and support, is non-verbal and lives with complex medical issues.

On or around August 19 of 2021, Robinson called AA “fat” and “idiot” in his presence.

A few days later, on August 24, she proceeded to call him a “dirty little pig”, and changed him from soiled clothes in a car park, in the presence of members of the public.

This happened despite her colleague suggesting that she move a short distance away, to an area where the vulnerable man would have had more privacy.

A hearing of the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) found that Robinson had “failed to treat AA with dignity and respect”.

The watchdog said: “Social service workers must treat service users, who have no choice but to put their trust in workers, with dignity.

“They must communicate in an appropriate and straightforward way and respect and maintain the dignity of people who use services.”

“There is a pattern of behaviour in that you did this on two occasions,” it added.

“Your behaviour calls into question your values and raises significant concerns about whether you should be placed in a position of trust.”

As a result of these incidents, the SSSC placed a 12-month warning on her registration effective from March 17.