Care worker struck off after hidden camera exposed threats to bedbound dementia patient

A care worker who was secretly recorded threatening and mocking an elderly bedbound man with dementia has been removed from the social care register following a misconduct hearing in Scotland.

Amina Sani was found to have told the 81-year-old that police would be called and that he would be taken to court, and to have warned him that a male colleague might hit him when he became distressed at the prospect of being showered. The incidents took place at Castlehill Care Home in Inverness on 10 April last year.

The hearing, held by the Scottish Social Services Council, was shown video footage spanning more than 20 minutes. In the recording, Sani repeatedly informs the resident that he is to be showered, while the man can be heard screaming "no" and "leave me alone" before swearing at Sani and a second carer. Both workers are visible laughing during the exchange.

The footage came to light only because the man's daughter, Su Christie, had installed a hidden camera in his room after growing concerned about the standard of his care. The material was subsequently featured in a BBC documentary examining care standards at Castlehill, in which relatives accused the home of "cruelty" and "neglect".

The panel concluded that Sani pulled the man's duvet off without warning, causing him further distress and agitation. It also found that she went on to carry out his intimate personal care while a cleaner held his arms down.

In its ruling, the panel determined that Sani had threatened the resident by saying "we will call the police and they will take you to court" and, referring to a male cleaner, asked whether he thought "that man is going to hit you", or words to that effect. The hearing was told the resident, a former merchant navy crewman, had a lifelong fear of showers linked to a childhood trauma.

Giving evidence, Christie described watching her father's distress escalate during the encounter without any effort by staff to calm him. She said he had no understanding of what was happening, describing him as a frightened and confused 81-year-old man living with dementia. She said the experience of viewing the footage was devastating and left her in shock, adding that while she knew there had been problems with his care, she had not expected to witness anything of that nature.

Sani's legal representative, Namatirai Chipere, argued that her client had herself been a victim of wider problems within the social care system. She told the hearing that Sani had received inadequate training in what was her first job in the UK. The representative said Sani wished to apologise to the family.

However, hearing chairman Iain Burke said the incidents amounted to a significant abuse of trust and power, and that Sani had demonstrated neither insight nor remorse. He said her attitude and behaviour were fundamentally incompatible with registration as a social care worker.

Burke acknowledged that the panel accepted Sani had been let down by her employer and that institutional failure was a factor in the case. He stressed, though, that none of the failings identified absolved her of her personal responsibility as a registered social care worker. He said it was clear from the video clips that she had shown no kindness or compassion towards the resident, and that at one point she and her colleague appeared to be laughing at something the resident said or did. The panel judged this to be disrespectful rather than shared humour, and found that the resident had suffered harm and had his dignity disregarded.

The chairman added that the panel believed Sani's treatment of the man was not something that could be corrected through further training, because it reflected her underlying attitude. The panel also noted that she had failed to use any de-escalation techniques during the incident.

The home's owner, Morar Living, said in a statement that it had acted promptly once concerns were raised. It rejected as untrue Sani's claim that she had not been properly trained. Castlehill, which has since been renamed Morar Highland, was graded "good" in its most recent care inspection.

Christie said she believed striking Sani off was the correct decision. She acknowledged the panel's comments about institutional failures but said the hearing concerned Sani's own personal accountability, and that the outcome sent a message that individual responsibility matters. She added that people living with dementia in care settings should be treated with respect and dignity.

The case forms part of a broader examination of standards at the Inverness home, which has been the subject of previous BBC reporting, including an undercover investigation and subsequent scrutiny of the progress made by its operators. The removal of Sani from the register means she can no longer work as a registered social care worker in Scotland.