A domiciliary care worker from Anglesey 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.
On 18 May 2020, Heidi Dunt went to the home of a vulnerable person during the Covid-19 pandemic and tried to provide care to them without wearing the correct personal protective equipment.
The hearing was told that at that time, Ms Dunt was no longer working for the domiciliary care agency that provided care to the vulnerable person and so had no reason to visit their home or to try to provide care to them.
The hearing was told that Ms Dunt failed to maintain social distancing in the home, and that her inappropriate actions placed people at unnecessary risk of harm and were in breach of the coronavirus regulations.
In addition, the panel heard that on 11 June 2020, Ms Dunt received a suspended sentence for two offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and failed to tell Social Care Wales about the ongoing police investigation.
After considering the evidence, the panel concluded that Ms Dunt’s fitness to practise was currently impaired because of serious misconduct.
The panel explained its decision, saying: “We find that Ms Dunt’s behaviour is serious. She put individuals, including a vulnerable service user, at unnecessary risk of harm. We have also found that Ms Dunt has been dishonest and lacking in integrity.”
The panel continued: “Although Ms Dunt’s conviction is serious and resulted in a suspended prison sentence it relates to a driving offence. We consider this is an isolated incident which does not impair Ms Dunt’s fitness to practice… She pleaded guilty to the offence and has served her sentence accordingly.”
In relation to the other charges, the panel said: “Ms Dunt has not acknowledged any wrongdoing on her part... She has not demonstrated any insight, remorse or reflection regarding her conduct or its impact upon a vulnerable service user.
“We have not been provided with any evidence to show that she has taken steps to remedy her behaviour. We cannot therefore be confident that it will not happen again.”
The panel decided to remove Ms Dunt from the Register, saying: “[C]onfidence in the social care profession would be undermined by allowing Ms Dunt to remain on the Register.
“We do not consider there is any other way to protect the public due to her complete lack of insight and any evidence there is likely to be satisfactory remediation of her impairment.”
Ms Dunt was not present at the three-day remote hearing, which took place over Zoom last week.