Operator admits island failings
A CARE home operator has revealed it has made mistakes in the past at an island facility where six residents died of coronavirus.
HC-One, which owns Home Farm on Skye where Covid-19 killed six elderly residents, said it ‘has not always got things right’.
Staff had to be sent to the home from the firm’s other facilities in Kent and Perth after the lockdown was introduced because of ‘chronic recruitment challenges’, although the firm stressed staff self-quarantined in the area for two weeks before starting work.
A spokesman accepted a Care Inspectorate report that raised issues at the home in January this year and apologised for those failings saying: ‘We know that we have not always got things right at Home Farm, and that despite our best efforts the home has fallen short of the standards we want and that residents and their loved ones expect. We are sorry for this.’
The spokesman added: ‘Our thoughts and sympathies are with all families who have lost a loved one from coronavirus and we are doing our utmost to support them during this difficult time.
‘The issues at the home are varied, but almost all stem from the chronic recruitment challenges we have faced over the last two years meaning we have struggled to build a consistent and experienced team due to the locality of the home.
‘To address the staffing challenges, we have been using Agency staff at the home, as well as relocating some existing colleagues from other HC-One homes. These colleagues have been living on the island, with agency staff also booked to complete a block of full-time shifts whilst living on the island.
‘Since the outbreak at Home Farm, and with so many local colleagues affected by coronavirus, we had no choice but to immediately relocate colleagues from our other Scottish homes to Home Farm.
‘These colleagues have been living on the island since the outbreak, and the home has also benefited from the support of staff from local NHS services.
‘We are grateful for the support of NHS Highland and Highland Council in helping deliver such a strong partnership response, and together we are doing everything we can to contain the virus and ensure those affected receive the care and support they need.’