Support worker put dementia patient with wrist fracture in taxi alone from Glasgow hospital

A support worker put a dementia patient who had suffered a wrist fracture into a taxi alone in Glasgow.

Taiwo Olaleye allowed the woman to travel unaccompanied for around 22 minutes from Glasgow Royal Infirmary to the care home where she resided.

It came after the vulnerable woman had received treatment for a fractured arm at the hospital in September 2024.

The woman was reportedly left distressed as a result of the incident, but Olaleye claimed they had received permission to allow the care home resident to travel alone in a taxi.

The Scottish Social Services Council launched an investigation into the incident and said Olaleye’s actions raised concerns over their ability to practice safely.

The SSSC also heard that Olaleye, while working as a care assistant in August 2025, manually lifted and moved a vulnerable resident alone, when they had been assessed as requiring a hoist with the assistance of two people.

The watchdog found there was a risk of harm to the resident due to Olaleye’s “poor error of judgement”.

However, the SSSC found Olaleye’s actions did not result in any harm being caused to the service user. Olaleye also apologised for the mistake.

Following the investigation, the SSSC found Olaelye’s fitness to practice was impaired and placed a warning on their registration for 12 months, which came into effect on May 12.