A carer snatched a special pendant from a Scots nursing home resident and spent her nightshift watching Netflix on her phone.
Dora Somuah has been rapped by watchdogs at the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) for her actions during her time as the principal care assistant at Blenham House Nursing home in Edinburgh and Pine Villa Nursing Home in Loanhead.
A probe found that Somuah had taken the special call pendant, a type of personal alarm should the person get in trouble, and locked it away in a treatment room in October 2019.
The next month she tried to cover up the incident by telling a colleague not to say anything in a 'dishonest attempt to conceal her behaviour'.
At her previous job as a team leader at the Pine Villa Nursing Home in Loanhead in 2017 she was found to have failed to answer any call alarms on night shift.
She was instead found to have slept and watched Netflix on her phone or I-Pad.
Somuah has now been given a stern warning over the misconduct and must now tell any new employer of the saction and will have to undergo more training.
She must also submit a reflective essay to the watchdog on how her actions impacted people and what she has learned.
The carer has agreed to the conditions and no further action will be taken.
A report from the SSSC reads: "The Panel considered the allegations which had been found proved.
"You had removed a call pendant from a vulnerable service user (AA) who relied upon it.
"AA was upset by this and reported it to your colleagues and her family. You failed to show respect and maintain the dignity of AA in removing her method of alerting staff to her need for assistance.
"You breached the trust AA placed in you.
"This conduct was made more serious by the fact that you acted dishonestly in seeking to have a colleague conceal your conduct.
"AA was clearly upset by your actions and so you did cause emotional harm.
"Although there was no physical harm caused, the Panel considered there was a significant risk of potential harm as AA was left with no ability to seek the assistance of staff.
"Dishonesty is particularly serious as it undermines trust in social services.
"The Panel consider any act of dishonesty to be serious, but the conduct found proved in this case is not at the most serious end of dishonest conduct.
"The conduct found proved in 2017 is less serious albeit there remains potential for harm when sleeping on a waking night shift."
