An “unclean” Dingwall care home has been ordered to make improvements after residents were left without hot water.
The Care Inspectorate made an unannounced visit to Fodderty House on August 11, which left inspectors far from impressed.
They have told bosses to “urgently take action” and ranked the home “weak” in terms of Covid-19 compliance, leadership and staff’s ability to support peoples’ wellbeing.
Operators Fodderty Care Ltd insisted the report does not reflect their high standards of care, while NHS Highland say they are working closely with bosses to support the improvements.
“We have taken immediate action to address the issues the Care Inspectorate has raised and will continue to work closely with them, the NHS and our own staff to ensure that Fodderty House remains an integral and highly regarded part of the local community.”
Fodderty Care Home Ltd.
‘Homely’ but unclean
Inspectors raised concerns about the possible spread of Covid throughout the home, where six people died from an outbreak last year.
A further 13 cases were linked to the home in January.
Despite the home being described in the report as “homely” – the inspectors found that there was various unclean areas in the home, as well as some residents not having access to hot water.
The document states: “People did not have access to a reliable supply of hot water in some parts of the home.
“This made it more difficult for some people to wash, and more likely that infection could spread.
“There was also a risk that staff or people living in the home could be scalded by the hot water that staff collected from the kitchen and carried through the care home so that people could wash.”
‘Unclean’ kitchen
The report went on to say that the kitchen and the outdoor food storage were “not clean”, while the kitchen hand washing sink was broken.
Concerns over the lack of dates on food items in the kitchen were also raised.
Also listed as unclean, were the staff toilets and changing rooms, as well as “essential care equipment” – with records confirming some areas of the home had not been cleaned as required.
Inspectors did note that informative posters and PPE was available in most areas, and that staff had received training in Covid-19 and infection prevention and control.
However, they said they were not confident staff cleaned equipment between uses and ordered that some of it to be replaced.
They also said in the report that waste wasn’t being disposed of correctly.
Fodderty Care Ltd said today it has taken immediate action to address the issues raised.
‘Deeply disappointed’
In a statement, the care home said: “We are deeply disappointed in our recent Care Inspectorate report, which does not reflect the high standards of care and service we work hard to provide to all our residents.
“We are very confident that our home is cleaned to a high standard and all our staff have made a concerted effort throughout the pandemic to ensure this is the case. Our NHS Highland colleagues have visited the home on a number of occasions with high praise for our standards of hygiene.
“This past year and a half has been a very difficult period of time for the entire care sector and especially so at Fodderty House where we experienced the devastation of a Covid outbreak.
“Our staff have worked tirelessly throughout and since the outbreak and we are extremely grateful for all their hard work and support. We are confident that our current staff team are very aware of this.”
Bosses also said that feedback from residents suggested they were “very content” with the care provided, but vowed to keep them informed of their progress to meet the Care Inspectorate’s requirements.
The statement added: “We have taken immediate action to address the issues the Care Inspectorate has raised and will continue to work closely with them, the NHS and our own staff to ensure that Fodderty House remains an integral and highly regarded part of the local community.”
A spokesman for NHS Highland added: “In partnership with the Highland Council, NHS Highland is working closely with the registered operators of Fodderty Care Ltd, to support their improvement actions and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents.”