Court orders ‘dangerous’ care home to be shut down
OAPs left in agony without painkillers and fed ‘polystyrene’ food
A CARE home has been shut down by a court after serious concerns were raised about the safety of its elderly residents.
Residents at Greenlaw Grove Care Home were left in pain without medicine by untrained staff, who were using their phones rather than attending to their needs, according to an official report.
There were also incidents of people who needed medicine at teatime and at night being given doses so close together their health was endangered.
The care home in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire, was served with an improvement notice but failed to address concerns and the Care Inspectorate applied to have it closed.
A hearing at Hamilton Sheriff Court was told the standard of care at the home was ‘so poor’ that the health of its 45 residents was at risk.
Sheriff Vincent Smith granted the order to close the complex and it will take effect in three weeks to allow time for the residents to be moved to other homes.
East Renfrewshire Council has also cancelled its care contract with the home, which is owned by Thistle Healthcare group.
Lorna Henderson, solicitor for the Care Inspectorate, told the court: ‘There is serious risk to the health and wellbeing of the residents and they ought to be moved.
‘The East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership is also of that view. They believe the provision of care is so serious and so poor that residents require to be moved imminently.’
Tony Caplan, lawyer for Thistle Healthcare, asked for the case to be dismissed to allow more time for residents to find accommodation.
He said it could take up to three months and said his client acknowledged failings.
However, Sheriff Smith said the issues raised were so serious that he had to take immediate action.
A report on the home by the inspectorate, from last August, recorded that painkilling medication was often out of stock so some residents could not be offered adequate pain relief.
Residents with continence problems were left in their own waste for up to half an hour at a time. Kitchens were dirty, with glasses left uncleaned so residents had to wait for drinks, and there were ‘gaps’ in infection control.
Relatives told inspectors bread served was ‘like polystyrene’ and residents were fed up with a diet of sandwiches and pasta.
They said there were not enough staff and one resident said they had had to ‘learn patience’.
A spokesman for the East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership said: ‘Care standards remain poor and inconsistent and not of the quality we expect.’
A Care Inspectorate spokesman said: ‘It is extremely rare for us to take action of this nature and we do so only when we must protect people from harm.’
A spokesman for Greenlaw Grove care home said: ‘We will do everything we can to support our residents and their families during what will be a very difficult time.’