Lanarkshire care worker warned after abusing and threatening colleague on coach holiday

A care worker from Lanarkshire has been warned after directing an abusive rant at a colleague during a coach holiday.

Gemma Fleming worked for Enable Scotland and was accompanying a co-worker and two supported people on a coach holiday in September 2024.

She was under investigation by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) for her behaviour during that trip, which was revealed in a newly released report.

According to the report, while on the coach, Ms Fleming shouted at the colleague “f****** b******” and “who do you think you are telling me what to do?”. This caused distress to the two supported people.

A member of the public asked the woman if she was ok, Fleming shouted, “we will sort this when we get off the bus”.

Ms Fleming also grabbed the woman by the jacket and dragged her to the lift.

Later at dinner, Fleming complained to the waiter, shouting “what the f*** is that” and “it looks like a bowl of sick”.

She Fleming also got into an altercation with a member of the public who was speaking with her colleague.

She went over to the pair and asked, “What’s she f****** saying about me?”

In response, the person told Fleming to lower her voice, to which she shouted, “I’ll wrap this walking stick around your head,” and “Who the f****** do you think you are?” and “I will punch f****** of you”

Ms Fleming threatened to take the member of the public outside and then threw a drink over then, the colleague and a supported person.

On the final day of the holiday, Fleming once again shouted at her co-worker, grabbed her and tried to hit her.

On the journey home, inside the coach, Fleming called her woman “fat” and said she could not do her job and claimed that she had hit her.

The SSSC found Fleming to have been verbally and physically abusive to her colleague and to members of the public in the presence of the supported people in their care.

The report stated that Fleming recognises that in the future she would handle the situation differently.

The report added: “While you have offered assurances that you would not behave this way again, when considering the nature of the behaviour and the lack of developed insight, there remains a risk of the behaviour being repeated were a similar situation to arise in the future.

“You have, however, continued to work in the sector since this incident with no further issues of this nature arising.”

The SSSC imposed additional training for Fleming to complete, including professional conduct, conflict management and de-escalation.

In addition, Fleming was handed a warning to remain on file for three years.