A support worker who slapped a woman on the leg in an Aberdeen care home has been struck off.
Natividad Briones was working as a senior care assistant at Banks O Dee Care Home when the incident happened.
Her actions were revealed during a fitness to practise hearing by professional watchdog the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
The panel found that Briones slapped the woman, known only as AA, on her lower leg, on February 3, 2011.
During the hearing, it also emerged that Briones had behaved abusively, both physically and mentally, towards a man, known only as BB.
The findings stated that while employed by Renaissance Care to work as a care assistant at Torry Care Home, on June 28, last year, Briones shouted at BB, saying she “hated” him.
In response to BB shouting, Briones said her “ears were sore”.
She also placed a tabard on BB despite him protesting he did not want it on, grabbed his arm and banged it on the table, and dragged him in his armchair away from the table, placing him in isolation.
The same day, Briones also screamed at a colleague at the Torry home in front of service users.
Between March 31, 2014 and June 30, 2015, Briones also repeatedly failed to record service users challenging behaviour in their charts and in doing so failed to meet relevant standards of practice.
The SSSC ruling against her stated that she behaved in an “inappropriate manner” by slapping a service user, who deserved to be treated with “dignity and respect”.
It continued: “The behaviour falls far below the standard expected of a social service worker.”
The SSSC removed Briones from the register, saying the move was both “necessary and justified in the public interest.”.
Meanwhile, the SSSC placed a 29-month warning on support manager Julie Suttar’s registration.
An SSSC fitness to practise panel found her guilty of a catalogue of failings while she was employed by Inspire as a support manager at Holland Street Housing Support Service.
The offences took place between May 2013 and November 2013.
