A CARE HOME worker in Dalgety Bay has been struck off for abusing elderly residents.

Fernan Murdoch was removed from the register for several incidents that took place at Henderson House.

The incidents occurred between 2018 and 2019, when it was formerly operated by Four Seasons Health Care Group.

The Fitness to Practise Panel of the Scottish Social Services Council (SSCC) decided that some of the allegations against Murdoch were proved, with her fitness to practise impaired.

As a result, the panel decided to remove Murdoch from the register of social care workers.

The panel found that her actions "amounted to emotional abuse of vulnerable residents and an abuse of trust of your position", the report said.

A total of seven incidents were considered by the panel from Murdoch's employment as a care assistant, with several found proven.

In one proven incident, Murdoch was said to have verbally-abused a resident, identified in the report as 'AA', when providing personal care, calling her a “smelly b****”.

The panel said it took into account evidence that Murdoch and a colleague were “providing personal care to AA and that when you had pulled AA’s trousers down, AA farted in your face”.

The report added: “In response to that, you then called AA a “smelly b****” and “f*****g b****", or words to that effect."

It was said Murdoch had retaliated in July 2019 after the same resident told the care assistant she needed to brush her teeth.

A colleague, identified as 'WW', told the hearing that Murdoch had responded, saying: “Keep your hands away from your f***y, that’s why your fingernails are dirty all the time.”

Murdoch denied the allegations in an interview with her then employer but the tribunal said it favoured the evidence of her colleague.

In another proven allegation from August 2019, the SSSC heard that Murdoch had told a colleague to "just punch him" (or words to that effect) to make a resident, identified as BB, sit down after they had stood up as they needed to go to the toilet.

The panel noted that when she explained the matter to her employer, Murdoch had said it had been “banter”.

The panel also heard of several occasions when Murdoch had used abusive language to residents, calling one of them, 'CC', a “smelly fat b***h” and “Shrek”, as nicknames that the panel found Murdoch had "considered to be funny".

In another incident, Murdoch distressed another resident, DD, by shaking their chair from behind.

In outlining the removal order sanction, the SSSC report stated: "The panel recognised that removal is a very serious sanction as it deprives you of your choice to work within the social services sector but considered that removal was the only appropriate sanction and that it is both necessary and justified in the public interest and to maintain the continuing trust and confidence in the social service profession and the SSSC as the regulator of the profession."

A Four Seasons Health Care Group spokesperson said: “We are aware of the proceedings involving a former employee of Henderson House, which is no longer operated by Four Seasons Health Care Group.

"At the time of the allegations, we suspended the employee while an investigation was carried out, after which her employment ended.

“The matter was reported to the Scottish Social Services Council, which we have provided with our full support throughout this process.

"The care and wellbeing of our residents remains our first priority and we will always act to uphold our high standards of care."