A COUNTY carer has received a 12-month warning after pressuring people in their care to buy items.

Monika Jones, a care home worker in Haddington, was found selling items to people in the care home where she worked, as well as charging people for housework.

Documents released from a hearing by Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) revealed that she had repeatedly attempted to sell an electric wheelchair to someone in her care.

The individual eventually purchased the item for £200, as well as a mirror and a lamp for an additional £50.

The hearing also revealed that she was intending to sell bedroom furniture to the care-user, whilst offering to do housework in exchange for money for another individual on top of their paid-for care package.

The SSSC found these actions to put the care-user at “risk of financial harm” while also overstepping her professional boundaries.

In the hearing, the SSSC said: “Social service workers should not abuse the trust of people who use services.

“By suggesting, on more than one occasion, that a vulnerable service user should purchase furniture from you, you placed the service user at risk of financial harm and failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.

“The service user did not want the furniture but felt that she was under some pressure to buy it from you and this has caused the service user distress.

“Social service workers should maintain professional boundaries and relationships with people who use services.

“This behaviour amounts to misconduct as it involves acts which fall below the standard expected of a social services worker.

“As a result of your registrable role, you have been able to carry out these transactions and have access to these service users.

“You have acted in your own interest and benefited from these transactions.

“The behaviour shows a pattern of breaching professional boundaries and there have been incidents of similar behaviour.

“There was approximately 12 months between the two incidents, which is a relatively short time and does not give a reasonable assurance that the behaviour will not be repeated.

“It is acknowledged that you have worked within the profession for 16 years and there have been no similar incidents before these allegations.

“Although you have acknowledged your behaviour was wrong, the SSSC does have concerns that the behaviour may be repeated because of the pattern of behaviour that is present.”