Care home worker Ronnie Pask warned over TikTok video that 'displayed careless disregard for dignity of patient'
Ronnie Pask uploaded a clip in which a colleague danced with a dementia patient, spread their hair over the resident's lap and cartwheeled down a corridor. A clip, in which Pask and a co-worker joked about vaginal thrush, featured a room that identified the care home in South Ayrshire.
Tuesday 14 November 2023 13:32, UK
A care home worker has been rapped for uploading a video to TikTok that featured a colleague dancing with a dementia patient, spreading their hair over the resident's lap and cartwheeling down a corridor.
Ronnie Pask and the co-worker also joked about vaginal thrush in a clip recorded in a room that identified the South Ayrshire nursing home where it was filmed.
Scotland's care watchdog reprimanded Pask for the misconduct and ruled that their fitness to practise was impaired.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) issued a nine-month warning, stating: "Social service workers are trusted to care for the most vulnerable members of society and to treat them with dignity and respect.
"You used your mobile phone to record [the resident] and uploaded this to a social media platform.
"There was no reason or justification for your actions and you did this without the knowledge or consent of your employer or [the resident's] guardian.
"Your actions display a careless disregard for the dignity and privacy of a service user in their care home and call into question your attitude and values as a person who works in the caring profession and whose job is to uphold proper standards of care and conduct."
The SSSC accepted that "no direct harm" was caused to the resident.
The watchdog branded the vaginal thrush video as "inappropriate" and said it "could cause reputational harm to your employer".
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The incident occurred at Dundonald House care home in December 2021.
The SSSC said Pask had failed to engage with its investigation and had shown "no insight or regret".
The watchdog said: "There is a lack of detailed insight from you. You have not engaged with the SSSC investigation.
"It is noted that the mobile phone footage does not suggest that [the resident] was upset or in any distress when you were recording their interaction with your colleague.
"There appears to be no intention on your part to cause harm and your actions demonstrate a lapse in judgment and a failure to demonstrate a standard of conduct which would be expected given your experience in the care sector."
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The nine-month warning came into effect on Saturday.
The SSSC has also imposed a number of conditions on Pask's care registration, including providing a reflective account on the impact of their behaviour so the watchdog can be assured it will not happen again.