Wishaw social care worker Barry McCandless has been issued a formal warning by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) after an incident in which he pulled a service user, referred to as AA, by his ankles across the floor from a living room into a hallway. The action resulted in AA sustaining injuries to his upper back.
Incident Details and Regulatory Response
According to the SSSC report, McCandless also failed to inform his seniors about the incident. The regulator stated: “You pulled AA across the floor, which resulted in him sustaining injuries on his upper back. You then failed to inform your seniors of this.” The report emphasized that the behavior “caused real harm to a vulnerable supported person in your care and fell far below the standards expected of a social service worker.”
The SSSC noted that the behavior was serious and caused actual harm, adding: “If this behaviour was repeated it would likely cause serious physical harm to vulnerable supported people.” However, the council acknowledged that McCandless had taken accountability, recognized his actions were wrong, and expressed insight, regret, and remorse. The risk of repetition was deemed low, and the incident was considered isolated, occurring during a set of challenging circumstances.
Mitigating Factors and Conditions
McCandless cooperated fully with the SSSC investigation. The report highlighted that he had been employed in the sector for 11 years prior to the incident with no previous issues raised about his fitness to practise, describing this as “a significant period of good practice.” Leading up to the incident, AA had been exhibiting very challenging behavior for several months, causing stress and distress among staff.
As a condition of the warning, which will remain on McCandless’s registration for five years, he must undertake training covering managing stressed and distressed behavior, as well as adult support and protection. The SSSC concluded: “You have taken responsibility for your behaviour, and shown significant remorse and regret for your actions.”
Broader Implications for Social Care Standards
The SSSC reiterated that social service workers should not put themselves or the people they support at unnecessary risk, and must not behave in a way that would bring their suitability to work into question, whether in or outside work. They are also expected to maintain clear, accurate, and up-to-date records.
