Dorota Buczkowska struck off for 'forcibly removing rings from Aberdeen care home resident's fingers'

A care home worker who reportedly forcibly removed two rings from a resident’s fingers in an attempt to pinch them has been struck off the register.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) stated that Dorota Buczkowska’s actions caused the resident to become “upset and distressed”.

The watchdog added: “Which was understandable as the rings were of sentimental value to her.”

The incident happened around August 31, 2020, at Fairview House Care Home in Aberdeen.

In a written ruling published this month, the SSSC found Buczkowska’s fitness to practise impaired.

The watchdog stated: “You forcibly removed rings from the fingers of [the resident] and attempted to keep them for yourself, before they were later recovered.

“Your behaviour was an abuse of trust and caused emotional harm to [the resident].

“It also gave rise to a risk of physical harm being caused to [the resident], given that force was used to remove the rings from [the resident’s] fingers.”

Buczkowska’s behaviour was branded “dishonest” and an abuse of trust.

The SSSC stated: “You have denied acting as alleged, which you are entitled to do, but as a result, no insight or remorse has been demonstrated.

“There can therefore be no reassurance that the behaviour would not be repeated and as such it is assessed that there is a high risk of similar behaviour being repeated.”

In conclusion, the watchdog said a removal order was the “most appropriate sanction” to maintain the “continuing trust and confidence in the social service profession and the SSSC as the regulator of the profession”.

The removal order came into effect on February 23.