A Highland care home where vulnerable residents are unable to bathe or shower regularly due to a lack of hot water has been ordered to make urgent improvements.
The Care Inspectorate has served a formal Improvement Notice on Lynn of Lorne Care Home at Benderloch, near Oban, following an inspection which raised serious concerns.
The notice lists six areas which require urgent improvement, including supporting people to maintain a standard of hygiene and personal appearance that is acceptable to them.
Staff knowledge and practice around how to treat pressure ulcers must also improve.
The home must ensure there is a record of the level of assistance required by each service user to allow them to move safely, together with a record of any specialist equipment that may be required.
Management must also demonstrate that there is a system in place to assess, monitor and manage nutrition for people.
They will also be expected to demonstrate to the Care Inspectorate that there are effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the care.
A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said: “The Improvement Notice we have served clearly lays out the changes we need to see so that the care provided to residents improves quickly.
“We will visit this care home again soon to check on progress and if we are not satisfied that the matters raised are being addressed urgently we will not hesitate to take further action.
“Everyone in Scotland has the right to safe, compassionate care which meets their needs and respects their rights.
“Anyone with a concern can contact our helpline on 0345 600 9527.”
Local councillor Julie McKenzie said: “It’s completely unacceptable and of the utmost concern to me that vulnerable elderly residents are not being afforded the level of care that they are entitled to.
“I sincerely hope that this formal intervention from the Care Inspectorate serves as a serious wake up call to the owners of the Lynn of Lorne and their management team.”
In a report from early summer, the inspectors wrote about concerns with the hot water supply.
They said: “This meant that residents could not get a shower or bath when they wanted or, indeed, needed one.
“This leaves residents more susceptible to skin problems and infections and does not promote the dignity of residents.”
McKenzie Care, owner of the home, declined to comment.
