AN IRVINE based care worker has been handed a 12-month warning on her registration following an incident of misconduct.

Her employers have also confirmed that she was dismissed following the conclusion of an investigation.

The decision to hand Alyson Morgan a 12-month warning was made by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) earlier this month, October 25, following an incident between October 2018 and May 2019.

An SSSC report details the findings regarding the incident which took place while Morgan was employed by Guthrie Court Ltd, Four Seasons Healthcare Group as a Support Worker in Irvine.

She was found to have "sold a tablet of a controlled substance, to colleague" while her "behaviour took place in the car park at your place of work".

The report adds: "Your fitness to practise is impaired because of your misconduct."

It countinues to explain the reasoning behind her fitness to practise being impaired.

It states: "Your behaviour shows a disregard for the law. The drug control regime operates to restrict the supply of controlled substances, which can be damaging to health, to those with a medical need for them.

"In providing a colleague with a controlled substance you showed a disregard for their wellbeing and of the law.

"Your actions were illegal as the substance you sold is controlled and potentially dangerous.

"Your actions took place on your then employer’s premises which increased the risk of damage to the reputation of your then employer and the social services workforce."

Though it went on to further explain why it found a warning to be the appropriate sanction for this case.

Factors considered in Morgan's favour included that she had no prior referrals to the SSSC, the time elapsed since the incident, and her co-operation with the investigation.

The SSSC report adds: "This was a one-off event. You have shown insight and regret which reduces the risk of repetition.

"You have also continued to work in the sector for two years without further complaint.

"However, your behaviour would be sufficiently serious to be disapproved of by members of the public. The public would expect the SSSC to take action to maintain the reputation of the profession."

While as a result of the incident, Morgan was dismissed by her then employers at Four Seasons.

A Four Seasons spokesperson said: “Four Seasons immediately suspended the employee in question while a thorough review of the allegations took place.

"The matter was also referred to the police.

"Upon conclusion of the investigation, the employee was dismissed in May 2019 and the incident was reported to the SSSC.”

The warning on Morgan's regisration came into effect on October 25, 2022.