Care home acts after critical report Inspectors classed leadership at facility as weak
Managers at a care home in Bridge of Earn yesterday insisted they have already met a number of requirements made by inspectors who rated their leadership as “weak” following an unannounced visit.
The Care Inspectorate concluded there was “a lack of management overview” at Moncreiffe Care Home, audits were “not adequate or effective” and some staff were “potentially not competent to undertake their roles” after a team paid a visit at the end of October.
The government agency said afterwards it wanted to see “well led and effective quality assurance processes” in place by the end of this month and all staff “equipped with the required skills and knowledge to undertake their various roles” by the end of January next year.
Their report said: “We were concerned that the systems to assess and monitor the quality of service provision were not used effectively which could potentially impact on the health, welfare and safety of people living in the home. This includes a lack of monitoring in the quality of care being provided and the outcomes people living in the service experience.”
It went on: “We found that the quality of ... audits were not adequate or effective in identifying areas where improvements could be made such as falls, the quality of care plans, quality of assessments and supporting records.
“For example, there was no evidence of any analysis of falls which had taken place within Moncreiffe, yet we saw that there were instances of falls being recorded.”
And their report added: “We had concerns regarding the knowledge and skills of staff to deliver a person centred approach to care of people living with dementia. Appropriate training would help improve the quality of mealtimes and support residents with meaningful activities.”
Responding to the Care Inspectorate’s findings, Moncreiffe Care Home manager Norma Macleod commented: “I have been in charge here for 10 years and the home has been run by the same family for 35 years, We are constantly updating our processes to ensure we keep pace with everevolving legislation in the care home sector.
“The 40-plus members of staff here are proud of the quality of care we offer to our 33 residents.
“That always commands priority status and our care standards and professionalism have consistently been recognised in previous reports.
“As ever, we have embraced the latest Care Inspectorate recommendations to maintain the highest possible standards of administration, as well as care packages for our residents.
“Myself and my assistant manager recently attended [an] improvement workshop held by the Care Inspectorate in conjunction with PKC.
“And as part of our ongoing development strategy, we have already met with Scottish Care’s improvement lead officer to ensure all our processes are up to speed and fully compliant with the Care Inspectorate’s observations.”