An Edinburgh carer has been banned after striking and restraining a woman before subjecting her to a tirade of verbal abuse.
Rebecca Harley ‘lost control’ and lashed out while working for a residential home operated by national firm Care UK in 2019, according to the industry regulator.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) heard Harley changed her story when quizzed about the incident after squeezing the woman’s hand in between her arm and body, the Daily Record reports.
READ MORE: Crooked Edinburgh banker stole thousands in scam to feed gambling habit
She then shouted the victim was ”pathetic” during the incident, the watchdog said.
The SSSC panel was later told Harley showed “very little insight, regret or apology” for her actions.
The former care worker opted against appealing the ruling following an internal probe and instead agreed to be struck off the register.
It means she is no longer able to work as a carer in Scotland after assessors branded the decision an “appropriate sanction”.
In a written summary of her case, the SSSC said Harley had run the risk of causing "physical and emotional harm" to the woman in her care.
"People using services should feel safe and secure from harm in their homes and deserve to be treated with patience and respect when they have no choice but to trust others to provide them with support," it said.
Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox
"Although this was an isolated incident and there have been no previous concerns, the behaviour falls below the standard expected of a social service worker and is fundamentally incompatible with professional registration."
A Care UK spokesperson said: “We expect all of our colleagues to deliver the highest possible standard of care and we will not tolerate any situation where a team member does not deliver this standard along with kindness and compassion.
"This is an extremely unusual situation and, as soon as it was reported, we suspended the individual and conducted our own internal investigation.
"This person has not worked in one of our homes since.”
