Care home slammed by inspectors

A DUNDEE care home has been slammed by the Care Inspectorate following an unannounced inspection.

Helenslea House Residential Care Home in Broughty Ferry was graded as “weak” in all four inspection areas. There are currently 18 residents receiving care.

Inspectors gave a number of reasons for the l ow ratings, including staffing levels and medication issues.

The report said: “We examined a sample of medication administration records. We found numerous issues where people were not receiving their medications as prescribed. These errors had serious potential to impact on their health and wellbeing.

“One person had not received their medication for more than a week.”

The inspectors witnessed limited support for residents, including not always being helped with their personal appearance.

One resident was also observed sitting in a lounge by themselves for an hour without any member of staff checking on their wellbeing.

The report added: “People should expect the service to be well-led and managed.

“We found that there was a lack of understanding of staffing level requirements. The staffing levels had resulted in people not being effectively supported.”

The care home also failed to report an outbreak of infection and failed to carry out reference checks for staff, the report added.

A spokesman for Helenslea House declined to comment on the report when contacted by the Tele.