East Renfrewshire care worker suspended in drinks claim
The deputy manager of a care home faces the sack after allegedly turning up for work while drunk. The official has been suspended from duty at the council-run Bonnyton House in Busby amid claims that it’s the second time he’s been involved in a drink-related incident.
Council chiefs in East Renfrewshire, who operate the home, have told him to stay away while senior personnel managers probe the latest allegation.
His work colleagues are expected to be quizzed as part of the probe.
The local authority refuses to discuss the alleged incident in detail while an investigation is under way, especially since the findings could be used as the basis of a disciplinary hearing.
But the allegation is said to be so serious that the official could be dismissed for gross misconduct.
A council spokesman said: “We can confirm that a member of staff at Bonnnyton has been suspended from duty on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol in the workplace.
“The matter is under investigation and the staff member is being provided with support by the council to address any outstanding health needs.”
One care worker, who asked not to be identified, said of the allegations:
“If it’s true, it’s absolutely shocking, especially when he is supposed to be responsible for looking after frail residents.”
Bonnyton House, in Busby’s Oliphant Crescent, has been a care home for the last 40 years. It provides permanent accommodation for up to 30 pensioners and a respite service as well as day care facilities for around 100 elderly people.
The probe comes three months after the Evening Times revealed how the council had spent £25,000 on a consultant to find ways of reducing running costs at the home. He came up with the idea of a pay cut for workers.
As a result care staff were forced to re-apply for their jobs with a warning that their duties could be downgraded, resulting in a pay cut.
The deputy manager sat on the interviewing panel and some staff now want the investigation to establish whether he could have been under the influence of alcohol when decisions on recruitment were being made.
But East Renfrewshire Council point out the panel was served by a number of others and should not be linked to the booze allegation. A spokesman insisted: “This issue is unrelated to staffing changes recently implemented at Bonnyton.
“All decisions about staff recruitment and selection are decided and agreed by a panel.”
A number of care workers opted for voluntary redundancy and, as a result of the wages saved, only a handful ended up with a cut in pay.
The deputy manager is a member of Unison and, as a result, the union refused to discuss his suspension or the ongoing investigation. “We can’t make any comment,” a branch official said.
