A care home worker has been banned from working in the sector after accepting a cheque for £20,000 from a resident in order to buy a new car.
Sharon Bell broke rules on accepting gifts from her wards when she took up the five-figure offer from a resident of Torrance Lodge care home in Kilmarnock.
The resident, named in public documents as AA, offered her the cheque in July 2020 so she could buy a new car with which to take him and his dog on outings.
She attempted to cash the cheque but the request was refused by his bank, which raised the alarm because of the man's age and the amount requested.
This breached the guidelines for social service workers set out by Scotland's regulator in the sector, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
It said Bell's behaviour had placed the elderly man at "risk of financial harm ".
A hearing convened by the regulator to discuss Bell's conduct was told that she had gotten on "very well" with the resident.
However, the cosy relationship was flagged up by another carer to managers, who were told that AA had offered a cheque "in the thousands" to Bell so he could go out more with her.
After investigations began, the resident moved out of Torrance House and moved in with Bell, who became his personal carer.
He was angry at the fact Bell was being investigated - but the SSSC concluded that her actions constituted an "abuse of trust" and "exploitation" of the old man.
Bell, who did not attend the hearing, admitted accepting the cheque but denied she had breached the rules put in place to protect service users by doing so.
This did not impress the independent panel convened to hear the case, which ultimately moved to strike her from the register.
In a written ruling, the watchdog concluded: "Regardless of the level of training you had or the sum of money, you should have known it is not acceptable to accept the cheque and it was written in your name.
"Your behaviour amounts to abuse of a position of trust and exploitation of a vulnerable resident.
"Accepting a personal cheque for the sum of £20,000 from a resident is a serious breach of your employer’s policy about accepting gifts and money from people who use services."
It added: "You should have had awareness on this occasion that your actions were wrong.
"It is for the carer to protect the residents and that trust cannot be abused."
Bell, who has not worked in the social care sector since being suspended in July 2020, could not be reached for comment.
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