A domiciliary care worker from Bangor 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 serious misconduct.
The hearing was told that on 6 August 2020, Christine Roberts breached her employer’s Driving for Work Policy by drinking alcohol before her shift and driving to work and during her shift when she wasn’t fit to do so.
The panel was told that Ms Roberts’s colleague, who provided care and support to people in their homes with her that day, described Ms Roberts as slurring her words, having red eyes, stumbling over her own feet, smelling of alcohol and behaving in an eccentric way during the shift.
In addition, the hearing was told that Ms Roberts failed to always wear a face mask when providing care and support during her shift.
After considering the evidence, the panel concluded that Ms Roberts’s fitness to practise was currently impaired because of serious misconduct.
Explaining its decision, the panel said: “Ms Roberts attended for work with vulnerable individuals while unfit to do so. Attending a home visit smelling of alcohol is very likely to undermine the trust of the individual using care and support and their relatives.
“This conduct was likely to bring the domiciliary care workforce into disrepute. It amounts to a failure to observe the fundamental principles that social care should be carried out in such a way as to ensure the safety of the individuals receiving care while preserving public confidence.
The panel continued: “Ms Roberts has not provided any information to show that future risk has been mitigated. The pattern of her past conduct prevents us from having any confidence that a similar event would not occur again if she was free to return to practice without protective steps being taken.”
The panel decided to remove Ms Roberts from the Register, saying: “We have decided that it is necessary and appropriate to make a Removal Order given the risks presented by Ms Roberts’s conduct and her persistent lack of insight. There is no alternative means to protect the public in the longer-term.”
Ms Roberts was not present at the three-day hearing, which was held over Zoom last week.