An Aberdeen care home where residents described being “lonely” and isolated has been told to improve.
The Care Inspectorate made three unannounced visits on May 18, 19 and 23 to Fairview House Care Home in Danestone to find a “chaotic” home, where “staff did not treat residents as individuals”.
Fairview House Care Home is owned and managed by Barchester Health Care. It is registered to provide a care service to 103 older people.
In the report, published this week, the Care Inspectorate said “people were not always being treated with dignity and respect.
“Staff were not communicating effectively with people, relatives, visiting professionals and other staff.”
Concerns were also raised over the way in which medication was dealt with by staff, with inspectors saying unless changed it could have “serious consequences” for residents.
Unpleasant smell
During the visit, staff were heard talking about residents where others could overhear. Residents were found to be in their rooms when they should have been outside in “lovely weather”.
Concerns were raised about an “unpleasant smell” of urine in parts of the home.
Inspectors said in the report: “A significantly high turnover of staff had a direct impact on the quality of care and support.
“The staffing numbers on paper seemed suitable given people’s needs. However, the management team had not fully considered the recent admissions to the home and that some new staff did not have the skills, knowledge and understanding to care for people in a dignified, safe, respectful manner.
“Although staff were trying their best, people had to wait unacceptable periods of time before being helped to the bathroom or given assistance.
“People who were at risk of falling were left to mobilise unsupervised. While staff were busy attending to people’s needs first thing in the morning, people were not offered a cup of tea on waking.
“There was not enough staff with the right skills and knowledge to care for people safely.”
In speaking with residents, inspectors said they had a “mixed picture” of the care provided.
The report said: “Some people were satisfied with living in Fairview, for example, one person said ‘couldn’t fault it, staff are wonderful, they do a lot for me’ and another said ‘they fairly look after me if I need it’.
“While others said, ‘I’m not happy here’, ‘staff are OK’, ‘it’s very lonely’ and ‘I’m happy enough’.”
How was the home graded?
The home was graded in five areas. Three of those grades, in supporting people, leadership and staffing, were marked at two, weak. Setting and planning, were graded at three, adequate.
The Care Inspectorate use a six-point scale where one is unsatisfactory and six is excellent.
A Barchester Healthcare spokesman said: “We take the findings of the Care Inspectorate (CI) very seriously and recognise that changes need to be made.
“There was mixed feedback with some residents satisfied with their life at the home, with one saying they ‘couldn’t fault it, staff are wonderful, they do a lot for me’.
“Following the CI visit we have taken immediate action to put robust plans in place to make positive permanent changes for the improvement of the home.
“This includes refresher training for staff, increased focus on the activities on offer for residents, more transparent communication with residents and relatives at the home and a drive to increase the senior leadership team.
“We would like to reassure everyone of our commitment to provide dedicated, personalised care to those living at Fairview House and to emphasise that their health and wellbeing is at the forefront of everything we do.”
Conversation