A CARER who mixed up a patient's medication and lied about it has been handed a warning by watchdogs.

Support worker John Hutcheon was employed by Key Working Housing Association across Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire when he made the blunder last August.

The patient was due to receive perampanel, which is mainly used to treat seizures, around 9pm - but the medication was administered at 8am.

After the error occurred, Hutcheon failed to contact NHS24 to seek medical advice or to alert his team manager to the mistake.

He did, however, lie to a colleague by telling them that he had contacted medical services and his boss, before asking his co-worker to sign a medication administration form stating that they were the one who administered the medicine.

Hutcheon then recorded inaccurate information on the form and stated that the medicine had been administered at 8pm.

Days later, Hutcheon repeated his lies to his area manager and insisted he had contacted NHS24.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) confirmed no harm was brought to the patient.

An SSSC disciplinary report said: "You have attempted to conceal your medication error by advising your colleague and manager that you sought medical advice from NHS24.

"You also asked your colleague to assist you in concealing your error by completing the service user’s medication record to state that they had administered the medication when this was not the case.

"When she refused, you signed the medication record yourself to state that you had administered the medication at the correct time.

"In doing so, you have acted dishonestly and encouraged another member of staff to do the same.

"Your behaviour would have also placed your colleague under undue pressure and in doing so, you have failed to treat them with respect."

Hutcheon, the report said, had an "unblemished" record prior to the incident and has continued working without any issues since.

As a result, the SSSC determined a warning period of 24 months was an acceptable punishment.