A Paisley carer has been struck off after failing to get help after fracturing a dementia patient’s fingers between her wheelchair and a table.
Louise Clark injured the resident and failed to get them medical help in September, 2023, while working as a social care worker at Nightingale House, which is run by Sterling Care Homes Ltd.
A report from the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) found that Clark acted “dishonestly” and caused a resident to “suffer an injury”. It stated that while assisting resident AA, Clark “caused their fingers to become trapped between her wheelchair and a table”.
This caused the resident to suffer bruising and two fractured fingers.
Clark then failed to get medical attention for the resident’s injuries and failed to report the incident. The report said Clark “acted dishonestly” and “deliberately sought to mislead” her employer.
The watchdog added that Clark showed “no empathy” to the person she was supporting and her act “led to a delay” in her getting medical treatment, which was likely to have caused the resident “continued pain and suffering”. She also offered “no apology”.
However, it was noted that it was an isolated incident.
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The SSSC report added: “You caused a vulnerable elderly person in your care to have their hand trapped between their wheelchair and a table. This caused them to suffer an injury which you failed to seek medical attention for.
“You didn’t report this injury to your superiors. This caused the resident physical harm, and likely caused them emotional harm over an extended period.
“You acted in this way in an attempt to stop the incident being discovered so you would not suffer any personal consequences.
“That raises serious concerns over your integrity and values as a person trusted to care and support vulnerable people. These combined actions raise serious questions over your suitability to work in a caring profession.”
Clarke’s notice came into effect on December 17.
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