A support worker who crashed a car into a house and uploaded antics at a care home onto Snapchat has been banned from working in the industry.
Toni Higgins has been struck off by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) following a spate of behaviour the watchdog branded “fundamentally incompatible” with registration in the caring profession.
Higgins was reprimanded after being convicted of two road traffic offences at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in March 2023.
In July 2020 in East Lothian, she drove a car without due care and attention, careering over garden rocks and colliding with a house.
She then failed to provide police with two specimens of breath to ascertain her ability to drive.
Although the incident occurred outside of work, the SSSC stated the behaviour showed a disregard for the law and was “serious” as it could have placed others at risk of harm.
Higgins also got into trouble for posting videos to Snapchat while working for Randolph Hill Nursing Homes Group in North Berwick in April 2019.
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As well as sharing a video of a resident sitting on a staff member’s knee, Higgins also posted a clip of herself lying on a resident’s bed with the caption “easy dayz”.
The SSSC said the behaviour showed a “general failure to respect service users”.
In addition, Higgins was accused of attempting to mislead prospective employers by hiding the fact she had been dismissed from previous care roles.
Higgins was confronted over her deceit in March 2020 while working for Allied Healthcare in Tranent, but denied being dismissed by social care charity Carr Gomm and Randolph Hill Nursing Homes.
She claimed she had resigned, but the SSSC stated: “This was dishonest, as you were dismissed from both of these employments.”
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In an application to Mears Care Scotland in August 2020, Higgins declared she had no pending criminal charges when that was not the case. She also failed to disclose that she was subject to an ongoing investigation by the SSSC.
The watchdog stated: “Your dishonesty prevented prospective employers from being able to fully assess your suitability for the role and prevented any safeguards from being imposed.”
Higgins was said to have cooperated with the SSSC’s investigation, but then chose not to provide comments towards the end of the probe.
The watchdog said: “While you largely deny the allegations, you have otherwise shown very little insight, regret or apology.”
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The SSSC found Higgins’ fitness to practise impaired.
The watchdog said: “There is a significant pattern of dishonest behaviour.
“Dishonesty is particularly serious because it may undermine trust in social services.”
In conclusion, the watchdog said a removal order was the “most appropriate sanction” to maintain the “continuing trust and confidence in the social service profession and the SSSC as the regulator of the profession”.
