A FORMER care home worker who hit a patient with dementia has been admonished by a court.

Catherine McKenzie, of Trafalgar Street, Clydebank, was said to have lost her job over the incident and faces being removed from the register and banned from working in the care sector in future.

The 62-year-old pleaded guilty in May to slapping a 72-year-old woman on the body at the Stockiemuir Unit, Mugdock House Care Home, Bearsden.

McKenzie was working with others overnight from 8pm on August 21, 2020 and was to be on duty until 8am the next day.

At around 5.30am McKenzie, another member of staff and the care home resident were near the nurses station. The two workers each took hold of bed linen.

The 72-year-old, who has senile dementia, pushed the other worker on the forearm three times, and she let go of the linen.

Dumbarton Sheriff Court was told on July 27 that McKenzie approached the resident and said “don’t hit me” or “if you hit me, I will hit you back”.

She took hold of the bed linen and slapped the OAP on the arm, causing her to shout loudly and become more agitated.

At this point another member of staff intervened and took the resident away from the area.

McKenzie said: “She won’t be hitting me.”

Fiscal depute Abigail McKenna told the court staff formed the opinion that what was witnessed was “unacceptable behaviour” and it was reported to the manager, who contacted police.

Defence solicitor Stephen McGuire said his client’s recollection of what happened was “negligible” but that it was inexcusable in her position as carer.

He said she had lost her employment of five years at the home, and of 10 years in the care sector, and that “termination” of her social services registration was “inevitable”.

Mr McGuire said: “She has been terrified since day one that she would go to jail for this. It took this incident to bring home how much she was struggling at the time.

“It was a difficult shift and difficult patient, and she should have dealt with it in a very different way.”

He argued that his client should be granted an absolute discharge, effectively erasing the conviction, but Sheriff John Hamilton questioned why, given she would not be working in the sector again.

He said an admonition was sufficient.

The Scottish Social Services Council would not comment on whether they had received a complaint or were investigating the case.