Harrowing tales of failings at a troubled Inverness care home have continued to emerge.
Families with connections to the city’s Castlehill Care Home have told of injuries going untreated, inattentive staff and care and loved-ones stripped of dignity.
A host of complaints have been upheld against the Inverness care facility since it was rated ‘unsatisfactory’ by inspectors last year.
Former Castlehill employee Kerry Ross spoke candidly about the harrowing final weeks of her mother Jessie Martin’s life at Castlehill.
Though some improvements have since been made, the Care Inspectorate continues to monitor the home.
And residents have been left so traumatised by what happened to their loved-ones they continue to tell their stories.
Among them are Siwar Louati and her mother Alison Dick, who say their calls for better care saw the family criticised and their relative evicted.
Grandmother evicted from Castlehill Care Home in Inverness
Siwar’s grandmother had been receiving palliative care at Castlehill for two years when she abruptly lost her place.
The family claimed staff told them their expectations were “too high”.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, Siwar said the home was supposed to be their lifeline, not a burden.
“Castlehill evicted her because they didn’t think the care home was suited to my granny’s lifestyle.
“They also said that my expectations were too high.
“We just needed their support – and I wasn’t asking for them to take my granny to Eden Court every week or anything out of the ordinary.
“I was simply asking them to please bathe her, maybe take her out of her room now and again.
“To do some of the basics and make her life better and my life just that wee bit easier.”
Among the complaints upheld was one made by the 33-year-old concerning the home’s medicating of residents without the knowledge of their relatives.
At times of distress, staff distributed Lorazepam to her grandmother to calm her down.
However, Siwar – who was her grandmother’s power of attorney – claims they crossed a line when they stopped notifying her.
She said: “I didn’t disagree with her being given Lorazepam, but I didn’t want her to be on it every day.”
The family had it put into the care plan that they be notified before the drugs were given.
But visits that followed led them to believe it was being regularly administered.
Family recall heartbreaking instances of neglect
She explained: “My mum and I always visited between 1.30pm and 2pm and when I got there, nobody mentioned to me she’d been upset.
“I was sitting with her all afternoon thinking she was just really tired, when in fact she had been given Lorazepam moments before our arrival.
“They said she was inconsolable. I said that if she was that bad, why did nobody contact me?”
Concerned for her welfare, the family began visiting the home even more frequently to ensure “basic hygiene” and safety – and to ensure she was eating properly.
Siwar recalls a near-catastrophic fall on her granny’s birthday in June last year, when staff failed to properly strap her into a hoist.
She said: “She needed to go to the toilet, so they came and tried to put her in the hoist.
“However, they put her in the sling wrong, and I dived underneath her and the hoist to grab her and stop her from falling.”
‘It feels like every week there is something about that care home’
In October last year, Siwar’s grandmother was evicted and moved to a different care home.
“It was a blessing in disguise (moving care homes) because the other care home was much better, but at the same time, we still felt sad about how it all went,” Siwar said.
However, she says the owners of Castlehill have never taken responsibility for their failings, despite the intervention of the Care Inspectorate.
“All we got were statements such as ‘We are going to get better'” she said.
Pensioner found lying face down after fall
Also facing neglect at Castlehill was 86-year-old Barbara Coull.
She moved to Daviot Care Home in January of this year, just two months before her peaceful passing.
Her daughter, Justine Robertson, says the Daviot home was the “polar opposite” of Castlehill, providing a welcoming space where her mother felt “cherished and cared for”.
Justine has come forward to share her mother’s story, having lodged several successful complaints against Castlehill.
She says they only begin to scratch the surface of what goes on behind closed doors.
“Upheld Care Inspectorate investigations in a Care Home setting often fail to convey the reality for individuals for whom the world has become a strange and unrecognizable place,” she said.
“Many lack the capacity to tell what has happened, to say if they were hurt and who or what they need to feel safe and secure.”
“They told us a doctor had been consulted. He hadn’t”
Justine recalls an instance where Barbara struck her head but was denied basic care – with the family believing they were misinformed about what actually happened.
“She was found lying face down, having apparently fallen from her wheelchair,” she said.
“The event was unwitnessed and staff were only alerted by the sound of “screaming” coming from a “supervised” room.
“There was immediate swelling on her forehead and significant bruising.”
After undergoing a neurological observation, she was given a cold compress and offered a cup of tea.
Her family were informed five hours later.
They were assured the local doctor had been informed – but did not deem treatment necessary.
During a meeting with a social worker, however, it became clear there had been no consultation with a doctor.
In fact they say she hadn’t even been given pain medication.
GP had no knowledge of pensioner’s injuries
She said: “Unbelievably, despite requests as my mother’s power of attorney and next of kin and instructions from her social worker, my mother was not seen by a GP until a week after her fall.
“He noted at the time that she had a clear mark on the side of her head.
“When I spoke to her doctor he told us there had not been a call to the surgery about my mother.
“He also said had had no knowledge of her injury – nor that she had suffered visible swelling prior to him being asked to check her.
“That only happened during a routine visit to the care home, seven days after the event.
“This was a terrible revelation.”
Justine also shares Siwar’s concern about the treatment of relatives who complained about care at the home.
She said: “I find it abhorrent that the company have a track record of evicting residents by casting aspirations on relatives’ character and behaviour because they dared to advocate for their loved ones.
“It is wicked.”
Morar Living has been approached for comment on numerous occasions but has not responded.
Care Inspectorate continues to monitor Castlehill
A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: “We inspected this service in June, September and November 2024.
“Our concerns about people’s experiences meant that we issued an Improvement Notice to the provider in October 2024.
“This Improvement Notice was met in November 2024.
“We have recently carried out a follow-up inspection. The full report can be found on our website.
“We continue to monitor this service to ensure that the health, safety and wellbeing of residents is paramount and that improvements in care are sustained.
“We always take concerns raised with us seriously, consider all information given to us very carefully and respond appropriately.
“Anyone with a concern about a care service can contact us on 0345 600 9527.”
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