A care home worker who binned residents' medication 40 times and falsely claimed it had been dispensed has been struck off.
Gemma Campbell has been banned from working in the sector after falsely claiming in paperwork that she gave Scoonie House Care Home residents their medicine. In fact, the "dishonest" senior staffer had chucked the medications away altogether, putting elderly residents in danger.
Campbell, of Leven in Fife, was the only member of staff responsible for medicine in her wing of the care home. This meant residents in her care were at "unnecessary [and] real risk of serious harm", according to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
The watchdog says Campbell has failed to show any insight, regret or remorse for her actions, which came to light in June 2021. Her callousness forced the regulator to take decisive action despite a previously sparkling record of social care service.
It is understood that Campbell had worked at the care home for around a decade at the time that her dishonesty was discovered. She refused to co-operate with the investigation into her actions and has given no explanation for her behaviour.
The SSSC said: "You falsely completed Medical Administration Record (MAR) sheets to show that medication had been administered to residents when this was not the case. Your actions undermined the trust placed in you and could have had extremely serious consequences for service users.
"Your behaviour was reckless and demonstrates you are willing to put the health, safety and welfare of service users at risk. You have failed to show insight, regret or remorse.
"You have also failed to engage with the SSSC investigation. We would have concerns about you continuing to work with vulnerable people in the sector."
Striking the care worker off the register, the regulator concluded that binning medicine meant for residents was "fundamentally incompatible" with being able to continue working in the sector. It added: "It is both necessary and justified in the public interest."
Campbell was given the opportunity to contest the decision before a fitness to practise panel but declined to do so. The Record has contacted her for comment.
A spokesperson for Caring Homes, which runs Scoonie House, told the Record: “The health and wellbeing of our residents is our absolute priority. We have robust medication procedures and policies in place, which meant that inappropriate actions from a previous employee in June 2021 were found, acted upon and reported.
"This led to her immediate suspension and dismissal. Throughout this process we have worked closely with all the relevant authorities and we fully support the Scottish Social Services Council’s decision.”
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