A senior care worker who hit an elderly man with dementia on the head and then "climbed on top of his body" has been struck off the register.
Caroline McCourt admitting assaulting the 77-year-old at Heathfield House Nursing Home in Ayr.
Care watchdogs said that while it was an isolated incident her actions, "had the potential to cause serious emotional and physical harm" and no other sanction was appropriate to protect the public.
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McCourt was convicted of assault on May 27 last year at Ayr Sheriff Court and has now lost her registration after a recent hearing by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). No explanation was given for her actions.
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Addressing her directly the SSSC said: "You were convicted of striking resident (AA) on the face and climbing on him which amounts to physical abuse of a vulnerable resident, placing him at risk of physical and emotional harm.
"Resident AA suffered from dementia and relied on you to look after him. You were in a position of trust in respect of this vulnerable resident and your actions have breached that trust."
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