A Largs care worker breached the confidentiality of a vulnerable service user by passing their phone number to a member of her family, watchdogs have found. 

Jacqueline Watson left the person "at risk of serious harm and exploitation" as a result of her actions.

Watson was working as a care at home assistant with North Ayrshire Council when the breach happened between February 1 and May 13, 2020.

According to a report of a Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) disciplinary hearing, the service user gave the member of Watson's family her bank card and PIN to buy her shopping.

But the service user then told Watson, who is registered with the SSSC as a support worker in a housing support service, that funds had been taken out of their account without authorisation.

The SSSC said the service user ­– referred to in the report as AA – was placed at “continued risk” because Watson had failed to report the matter to her employer.

The SSSC’s report stated that Watson’s fitness to practise was impaired as a result of her conduct.

But the watchdog opted not to strike her off the register of care workers after accepting that the breach was “isolated”.

The SSSC’s report said: "Between on or around 1 February 2020 and 13 May 2020, while employed as a Care at Home Assistant by North Ayrshire Council in Largs, and during the course of that employment, you did, on a date unknown, attend service user AA’s home with a family member or, in the alternative, tell a family member AA’s home address [and], on a date unknown, give your family member AA’s telephone number.

"You failed to inform your employer that your family member was carrying out: work for AA at her home, and shopping for AA.

"You became aware AA had given your family member her bank card and pin number to purchase her shopping.

"Between on or around 7 and 13 May 2020, AA told you funds had been  taken from her bank accounts which she had not authorised.

"Breaching AA’s confidentiality led to AA becoming known to your family member, and AA giving your family member her bank card(s) and pin number, placing AA at risk of financial harm and exploitation.”

The report added: “Social service workers are expected to understand and respect the importance of keeping information confidential, particularly when this information relates to service users.

"Breaching a service user’s confidentiality is a serious breach of trust as the public must be able to place complete reliance on the integrity of social service workers and trust they are reliable and dependable in handling confidential information.

“Actions in failing to report to your employer undermines public confidence in the profession."

Factors of concern highlighted in the report included, in the SSSC’s words, “a pattern of failing to report to your employer which placed AA at continued risk”.

In mitigation the SSSC said it accepted the breach was an isolated one, that Watson had accepted her wrongdoing and apologised, and that her – now former – employer had said Watson “appeared genuinely remorseful”.

The SSSC placed a warning on Watson’s registration which will remain in place until June 2025.

A North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment on individual circumstances. However, we can confirm that this person is no longer employed by North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership.”

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The News has been contacted by a different Jacqueline Watson, who also works in the care sector in Largs, and who has asked us to clarify that she is not the person mentioned in the article above.

The Jacqueline Watson who has been given a 24-month warning by the SSSC has the registration number 4020541 and is registered with the SSSC as a ‘support worker in a housing support service’.

The second Jacqueline Watson – who has not been disciplined by the SSSC – has the registration number 3059087 and is registered as a ‘support worker in a care home service for adults’.

The News is happy to clarify the position.