A domiciliary care worker from Newport has been removed from the Register of Social Care Workers after a Social Care Wales hearing found her fitness to practise is currently impaired because of her criminal conviction.
The hearing was told that between 23 September and 27 October 2020, Paulina Andrejczak took the bank card and PIN number of a vulnerable person in her care and removed £300 from the vulnerable person’s bank account on three separate occasions, amounting to a total of £900.
Ms Andrejczak was subsequently convicted at Newport Magistrates’ Court in October 2021 of three counts of theft and was sentenced to 26 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.
After considering the evidence, the panel concluded that Ms Andrejczak’s fitness to practise was currently impaired because of her criminal conviction.
The panel explained its decision, saying: “[Ms Andrejczak] acted dishonestly in gross breach of trust. It was a serious misuse of the access she had been afforded.
“Her actions only came to light when concern was raised by the vulnerable individual and [Ms Andrejczak] pleaded not guilty, putting that individual through the stress of a trial.
“There is no evidence of remorse. This is serious offending, which strikes at the heart of public confidence in care work undertaken for vulnerable people in their homes.”
The panel decided the remove Ms Andrejczak from the Register, saying: “It is a heinous act to take advantage of such a vulnerable person.
“We find that [Ms Andrejczak’s] actions are fundamentally incompatible with work in social care. Imposition of a Removal Order is necessary and proportionate.
“Any lesser disposal would cause the public to question the actions of Social Care Wales as the regulator and would risk undermining public confidence.”
Ms Andrejczak was not present at the one-day hearing, which took place over Zoom last week.