A COUNTY care home worker has been warned about her conduct after calling her colleague “chubby” and asking them whether they “lived in a council house”.

Kesna Kader received a six-month warning on her registration following a number of complaints made against her while she was working at Fidra House Care Home, North Berwick.

The care home on Dirleton Avenue is operated by Randolph Hill, which also runs six other care homes in Scotland, including Muirfield in Gullane.

The sanction was imposed by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) on November 23, following an investigation into her conduct with a colleague and service users.

She called one of her colleagues “chubby” on more than one occasion and was noted to ask them if they “lived in a council house”.

Ms Kader was also noted to inappropriately ask “did you have your children vaginally?” to the same colleague, and also state: “It’s a good thing you have a husband as no one would have you after having three children.”

Her conduct towards a service user in her care was also highlighted. In one instance, she nuzzled her face into the user’s neck and said “will you marry me?”, “no, you are marrying me” and “do you love me?” or words to that effect.

'Highest possible standards'

Peter McCormick, Randolph Hill managing director, said that Ms Kader had been hired via an agency and the agency had followed protocol to make Randolph Hill aware of the issue.

He added that the company “work hard to maintain the highest possible standards of care”.

In its report, the SSSC emphasised serious concerns that Ms Kader’s conduct amounted to abuse and a disregard of her position, but acknowledged that she had shown remorse for her actions.

Its statement said: “Social service workers are trusted to care for the persons under their care.

“They are expected to protect them where possible from harm and abuse, and never to neglect them.

“By using inappropriate language or words, you have put the service user at risk and subjected them to unnecessary stress.

“The remarks made to the service user could be assessed as being intimidating and fall well below the expected standards.

“Social service workers must work openly and honestly with their colleagues and treat them with respect.

“They must not abuse or use derogatory remarks which could cause a colleague to feel embarrassed, intimidated and show disregard for her position.

“The behaviour that you have shown represents a serious breach of personal boundaries to make inappropriate comments like these to a service user, even if the intention was to have a joke.

'Likely to cause offence'

“The comments made could confuse or upset the service user involved.

“The comments you made to your colleague are also inappropriate and likely to cause offence and upset.

“You have shown some insight and regret in the statement you provided to your employer and in the personal statement; however, there are parts in which you deny making comments.

“While this incident was isolated, this happened during the course of your shift; you have acted in a manner which falls well below the standards expected of a social service worker.

“The finding of impairment is necessary for the SSSC to mark the unacceptable nature of your behaviour and also to maintain the confidence in the integrity of the register and the SSSC as the regulatory body.”

Mr McCormick said: “We take the safeguarding of our residents very seriously and refer any concerns we have to the Scottish Social Services Council.

“In this case, the agency staff provider, Tanshe, was made aware of the incident by the Fidra team.

“Tanshe followed their protocol and submitted a referral and liaised with us.

“The incident took place overnight and it was dealt with by the next morning, ensuring this person did not return to any of our homes.

“We work closely with Tanshe, which provides us with agency staff as needed, and they addressed the issue quickly.

“We consulted and notified the resident, their family, the care inspectorate and adult support and protection.

“The comfort and safety of our residents and colleagues is our number one priority, and we work hard to maintain the highest possible standards of care.”