Care home is slammed by inspectors

medicationissues,staffingissues,basic needsissues,mentalhealthwellbeing, being left out of activities when they actually happen, and being left alone.

“We don’t like Grandma living there but her condition has deteriorated so much now that it’s not possible for a move – if we could, believe me, we would.

“The care home had a grading of four last year and now they are a two [weak], which is just not acceptable for residents.

“I totally understand the inspectorate report, this is not a one-off.

“What they have uncovered happens every day.”

Based on the same site, North Inch offers residential care for older people, while North Grove offers specialist dementia care.

Inspectors graded the care home as“weak”for supporting people’s wellbeing, leadership, staffing, its setting, and its care and support.

A grading of“weak”means there are important weaknesses and action must be taken to make improvements, as these weaknesses “substantially”affect people’s experiences.

The care home now has until the end of this month to make drastic improvements to meet residents’ health and welfare needs.

In the report, inspectors said residents were not“treated with compassion, dignity and respect”, and staff were seen“huddled together chatting whilst residents sat staring into space with nothing to do and no social interactions”.

It said mealtimes were“chaotic and confusing”which led to some residents having very little to eat, and there were delays and errors in administering medicine.

One of the residents told inspectors:“I was recently put on antibiotics and wasn’t told that I had an infection until I questioned the tablet I was being given and that is the first I had heard about it.”

Another said:“I get cream put on to my skin twice a day and at night but I always have to ask for it and on many occasions I’ve not been given it.”

Inspectors have warned staff at the care home they must make drastic improvements by the end of November.

The report says this must be done by putting a strategy in place to make sure everyone has enough to eat and drink, making sure no resident misses a meal, and reviewing mealtime management to make sure the experience is pleasant and sociable for all.

Access to drinks and snacks outside of mealtimes must also be improved, particularly by offering residents fresh fruit.

Management also needs to make sure staff have the relevant medication training and improve the quality of social activities on offer.

Balhousie North Inch and North Grove has also been told it must make sure residents’care plans set out their health, safety and welfare needs and how they will be met by the end of this year by developing person-centred plans.

A spokesperson for Balhousie Care Group, which runs the care home, said:“We have been working for some time now to address certain service aspects of our North Inch care home.

“The team we have in place has been rigorous and hands-on in implementing a long-term strategy which has the support and input of the local authority, staff, residents and families, and industry bodies.

“The care of our residents is our highest priority both at North Inch and throughout Balhousie Care Group.”