Inspectors find capital care home still ‘unclean and contaminated’

There has been ‘no improve - ment’ to an Edinburgh care home previously rated‘ unsatisfactory’ by the Care Inspector ate.

Guthrie House Care Home was issued with a letter of serious concern in early September after an initial visit by inspectors.

Inspectors found that patients at the care home did not have sufficient access to fluids, and were not quickly attended to when in pain or distress.

A report by the Care Inspectorate said inspectors were “concerned about the care of residents, cleanliness of the environment and equipment, compliance with infection prevention and control, and staffing levels”. A follow-up report shows that there was ‘no improvement’.

The report said: “When we visited on 22 September, there was no improvement in the support offered to individuals experiencing pain or distress. Medication administration procedures were weak. There was no improvement in the quality of documentation relating to the support provided .“Several areas in the home were not clean and were contaminated. PPE supplies were available but there was poor compliance with the management of clinical waste. Staff had received training on Covid-19 and infection prevention and control however, their practice did not fully comply with current guidance. “We found no improvement in staffing arrangements. “Due to the continuing sig - nificant concerns and lack of improvements, we issued an improvement notice to the provider on 23 September.”

Scottish Labour Health and Social Care spokeswoman Monica Lennon MS P said: “The health and well being of residents should be paramount, especially during a pandemic. Poor cleanliness, inappropriate use of PPE and sloppy infection prevention and control are not acceptable. Lothian MS P Miles Briggs said: “This is deeply concerning that Guthrie House still hasn’ t made the necessary improvements to cleanliness of the home and residents who are in pain are still not being supported promptly.”

A spokesperson for Four Seasons HealthCare said: “"We are committed to meeting the requirements outlined by the Care Inspectorate.”