A report has highlighted “the serious and significant” concerns which led to an Inverness care home being shut down.
Cradlehall Care Home had its registration cancelled after inspectors assessed five key areas as “unsatisfactory” – the lowest grading possible from the Care Inspectorate.
The home was expected to close its doors for the last time today, April 17.
During a damning inspection between February 26 and March 28 this year, inspectors said they found “significant gaps” in staff training, as well as the negative impact of using temporary and unskilled workers.
They said residents were often “ignored for long periods”, protection issues were not always investigated and family members said they often had to step in to help with care.
The care home environment was also found to be “unclean” which created a health and safety risk.
Inspectors shared their concerns with NHS Highland which led to a “large scale” investigation.
The report states: “We concluded that people were at significant risk of harm due to the failure of the provider and staff to manage care and support appropriately.”
‘Residents lost weight without access to food and drink’
Inspectors uncovered “significant weaknesses” when looking at the wellbeing of residents at the Inverness-based service, provided by St Philips Care Home Group.
The report states: “We had concerns about people’s access to food and fluids. People had lost weight.
“The service had not taken effective actions to increase the calorie intake of people who had lost weight or were at risk of weight loss.
“People did not always have access to fluids which increased their risk of dehydration.
“People living in the service told us that they were often hungry, that the food was sometimes inedible and people and their families had to purchase additional food and drinks to ensure that they had enough of the foods they needed and enjoyed.”
Inspectors stated they had to “intervene” during their visits to ensure people were safe and received the care they needed.
They also highlighted the oversight of residents “wounds” and concerns raised about medication which was missing or had been administered at the wrong time.
The report adds: “People were often ignored for long periods of time”.
Cradlehall Care Home was ‘unclean’
The care home setting at Cradlehall was also found to be impacting people’s health and wellbeing.
Inspectors said: “The overall cleanliness of the home gave rise to serious concern. The whole home was dirty and looked like it had not been properly cleaned for some time. There was chipped paintwork throughout the home.
“Cupboard floors were visibly dirty, and bathrooms were cluttered with moving and handling equipment.
“Effective arrangements were not in place to clean shared equipment, like hoists, toilet and shower chairs after they had been used, to help control the spread of infection.
“We raised concerns with staff at times, and when we later checked, we found these issues had not been addressed.”
They also discovered broken equipment, including buzzers, which meant people could not call for help.
The Care Inspectorate raised its concerns with the care provider at the end of February, but they “failed to take remedial actions”.
Due to continuing concerns, inspectors made an application to the sheriff at Inverness to seek cancellation of the care home’s registration.
St Philips Care Home Group has been contacted for comment.
Inverness care home shut down following ‘serious and significant concerns’
