Investigators have ruled that staff at a north care home acted in a “highly inappropriate” and “unacceptable” way towards a 94-year-old woman.
The Care Inspectorate has upheld three complaints against a home where workers were secretly recorded humiliating dementia sufferer Doreen MacIntyre.
Her daughter, Blan Bremner, burst into tears and was left “physically sick” after listening to a 16-hour tape she had recorded at the Kingsmills Nursing Home in Inverness.
Mrs MacIntyre’s pleas for help were ignored for long periods, and two employees were found to have given a slow round of applause to the pensioner after she had asked for “a hand”.
There were also conversations of a “sexual nature” in front of the elderly resident.
The workers were suspended after the recording was made in September 2013 and later quit the home. Mrs MacIntyre died in November that year.
Mrs Bremner, of Ardersier, has been calling for action to be taken ever since.
The Care Inspectorate has now upheld her complaints against the home after reviewing the recordings and meeting staff and family members.
The home has also been ordered to produce a report detailing what lessons have been learned.
The inspectorate’s letter – seen by the Press and Journal – states: “From these recordings we conclude that the conduct and behaviour of the two named members of staff was unacceptable.
“This was highly inappropriate and included conversations that caused alarm and distress. The recordings included conversations of a sexual nature. The recordings evidenced a disregard for your mother and a lack of empathy, dignity and respect.”
The two staff members are not currently on the social services register, and have now been referred to Disclosure Scotland’s protecting vulnerable groups scheme, which takes decisions on barring people from working with certain service users.
The inspectors also upheld a complaint relating to the supervision, training and support of staff, and a third regarding an “unfortunate and ill-timed” letter sent by the home just days after the recording, relating to visiting hours.
The Kingsmills facility was a Four Seasons Health Care home which was rebranded under the “brighterkind” banner, part of the same group, earlier this year.
The home, at Kingsmills Park, was rated “very good” in all four assessment categories – quality of care and support, environment, staffing, and management and leadership – by the Care Inspectorate after a visit in December last year.
Last night, Mrs Bremner said: “I’m glad that the Care Inspectorate has looked into it and it has been upheld, but because it was in the past it doesn’t affect their grades.
“We know that there are good carers out there, but we’re relying on them to whistleblow.
“My family got treated like criminals because we put in the recording, but it would never have come out otherwise – we would have just thought that mum had gone downhill.
“It still makes me feel ill. It just goes on and on.”
Mrs Bremner also backed calls for CCTV to be installed in all care homes.
In a statement, Kingsmills Care Home said: “We have tried to resolve Mrs Bremner’s complaints, but sadly have not been able to reach an outcome that will satisfy her and we are sorry this continues to cause her distress.
“When she first made a complaint in 2013 about her mother’s care, there was an investigation by the police into the content of the covert recording made in her mother’s room. There were also inquiries by social services.
“The authorities determined there was no indication of any form of mistreatment or wilful neglect.
“We regret that two care assistants who were covertly recorded behaved and spoke in a way that was inappropriate and disrespectful. They failed someone in their care and let down their colleagues.”
A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said: “This was a highly distressing case and no one should have to go through this.
“Everyone in Scotland has the right to safe, compassionate, high quality care which meets their needs and respects their rights.
“Although our most recent inspection found improvements at the care home and some examples of good care, we have upheld three complaints about the actions from two years ago and have made a formal requirement for improvement, will continue to inspect the care home unannounced and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary.”
The ruling emerged just weeks after the Press and Journal revealed that 91-year-old John Taylor, from Rosemarkie, had died at a different Inverness care home within minutes of allegedly being attacked by a fellow dementia sufferer. Several other residents were in the room at the time, but there were no staff.