Litany of failings at care homes

SCOTTISH care homes have been accused of ‘spine- chilling’ breaches of Covid-19 safety and human rights.

A catalogue of failings was found during recent elderly care home inspections by the Care Inspectorate.

Out of 31 homes visited across Scotland, 42 per cent were given the lowest possible rating of weak or unsatisfactory.

None was described as ‘excellent’, while four were issued with urgent improvement notices – with many of the concerns related to how staff are managing Covid-19 risks.

Inspectors also identified excessive use of physical restraint, residents not having enough access to fluids and inadequate support for those in pain or distress.

Scottish Labour health spokesman Monica Lennon said: ‘The Care Inspectorate has uncovered spine-chilling examples of unsafe care and human rights breaches.

‘Poor cleanliness, inappropriate use of PPE and sloppy infection prevention and control are not acceptable.

‘Inspectors have identified excessive use of physical restraint, residents not having enough access to fluids and inadequate support for those experiencing pain or distress. This is inhumane and reinforces Scottish Labour’s concerns about the postcode lottery of care in Scotland’s care homes.’

A total of 168 care homes were inspected between June to October and out of those, 50 have been rated as weak by the Inspectorate.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Where areas of weakness are identified, a multi-agency approach helps to ensure that staff are supported to make those improvements.’