A Scottish man has been struck from the register of care professionals after he was found to have brought knives to his place of work “on more than one occasion”.

Michael Neilson was in the employment of Eidyn Care as a home care worker at ACS Care at Home in Lochgelly, Fife.

A hearing conducted by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) found that Neilson “on more than one occasion, [brought] knives to work”, and carried them while visiting home care recipients.

He was also found to have shown a knife to one supported individual, and to have told a colleague he would stab another driver while the two were in a vehicle.

The SSSC’s report said he had used words to the effect of, “Well, I’d stab him first, you [know]? I’ve always got a knife or two on me”.

These actions were said to have taken place between August and September 2023.

The hearing deemed Neilson to have shown “a serious disregard for the safety and welfare of” both colleagues and care recipients.

The report went on: “Bringing knives to work and showing a knife to a supported individual would likely have caused fear and alarm, and your conduct therefore placed them at risk of emotional harm.

“If the knives had been accessed by anyone else, there would have been a risk of physical harm. Supported individuals have the right to feel safe in their homes and your conduct risked causing unnecessary fear and alarm, abusing the trust placed in you by them and their families.”

It also added: “Your possession of knives appears to arise from activities outside of work, as well as your beliefs. As a values issue, the conduct is not easily remediable.”

Owing to the “public interest concern” this raises, the SSSC removed Neilson from its register of care workers, banning him from working in the sector again. This came into action on 2 August 2024.

In justifying this decision it cited factors such as the risk of harm, the repeated nature of the offence and the fact that Neilson could provide no “meaningful insight” into his actions.