A crisis-hit nursing home, which had to be taken over by Aberdeen City Council after a damning report, could cost the local authority more than £180,000.
Kingsmead Nursing Home in Kingswells was placed under the control of the council after the Care Inspectorate carried out an unannounced inspection last year.
The watchdog judged the home to be unsatisfactory in three of four vital criteria, and said there was “significant concerns” about the standard of care on offer.
One of the issues which was highlighted included nutrition, with inspectors noting that the lunchtime service was “chaotic”.
The report also said: “Management and staff throughout our inspection demonstrated poor knowledge of the clinical needs of people living in the service.”
Following the inspection, the home’s former manager Esther Leaver left the home and has subsequently been replaced.
The contract between the council and the provider, Mead Medical Services, was terminated on April 1 for the welfare of residents in the nursing home.
Staff from the council-affiliated Bon Accord Care has assumed responsibility at the home.
A new report will go in front of a full council meeting on Wednesday to update councillors about the situation at the troubled care home following the takeover.
The report states: “The actions which were taken to secure the safe provision of services to residents of Kingsmead Nursing Home required unbudgeted expenditure to be incurred.
“This is currently estimated to total £56,000 for the first month of operation, and £25,000 a month for the next five months.
“These figures are estimated at this stage, as not all the staffing costs have been processed through payroll and the income for the client contribution is still to be processed.”
Care Inspectorate staff have visited the home since the BAC took control, and reported positive changes.
The report continued: “The Care Inspectorate has visited [the facility] informally twice since April 1, and have told officers that they are happy with the level of improvement seen.
“The council and the Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership continue to provide support to BAC in terms of care provision and infrastructure support.”
