The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Care home: Crown drops charges against women.
COURT: Two workers at Fife home remain suspended although Crown won’t proceed
Shocking allegations of abuse at a Fife care home have been dropped for now, The Courier can reveal.
Two women, aged 61 and 57, had been due to appear at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Thursday, in connection with an alleged assault involving an elderly resident at Chapel Level Care Home in Kirkcaldy.
They had been charged following an incident in October, the Crown Office said.
Both arrived at court and were seated in the courtroom, but at the last minute they were told the undertaking against them had been cancelled and they were free to leave.
The Courier revealed on Wednesday that two people had been charged and four members of the 60-bed care home’s staff suspended pending the outcome of an investigation involving the police, Fife Council and the Care Inspectorate.
They will remain suspended until internal inquiries are complete.
A spokeswoman for the Crown Office told The Courier: “The procurator fiscal at Stirling received a report concerning two women, aged 57 and 61, in relation to an alleged incident on October 10 2015.
“After full and careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including available evidence, it was decided that there should be no proceedings taken at this time.
“The Crown reserves the right to proceed in the future.”
Police Scotland said they had received no further instruction from the Crown and it is believed they are not involved in any ongoing investigation involving the care home.
A spokesman for HC-One, which owns the home, said it had begun disciplinary procedures against those involved.
The case, expected to take around a week, will be handled by an HC-One team external to the Kirkcaldy care home.
“The four members of staff remain suspended in the meantime and none will be allowed back into the home, or any of our homes, until the disciplinary process is completed,” said the spokesman.
“We have been working fully with the police, the Care Inspectorate and the council throughout this investigation.”
A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said the body was still involved at Chapel Level, regardless of the Crown’s position.
“We will continue to work closely with the provider and Fife Council to ensure residents are kept safe and to ensure the quality of care is satisfactory at Chapel Level Home,” he added.