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‘Worrying’ inspection report for north-east care home

Durnhythe care home
Durnhythe care home

An Aberdeenshire Council-controlled old folks’ home has been branded “weak” by inspectors for the second time in four months.

Last night local authority chiefs insisted the welfare of residents and families at Durnhythe Care Home at Portsoy was a “top priority” after the Care Inspectorate said it would not hesitate to take further action if conditions failed to improve by the time of the next visit.

Inspectors found residents appeared “happy” and “relaxed”, but branded the centre “weak” in two areas – quality of care and support and quality of management and leadership.

The team levelled similar criticisms against Durnhythe in December.

On the previous visit, they found a folder used to keep a record of complaints was empty – despite several references to complaints appearing in the minutes of staff meetings.

Serious concerns were also expressed about poorly-maintained care records.

In one case a resident, who stayed briefly at Durnhythe, left with skin sores because there was not a proper care plan in place.

A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said: “We continue to have concerns about this service and are monitoring them closely to ensure they take action to meet the standards we expect.

“We will be inspecting again soon and if we are not satisfied that improvements are being made quickly on the areas we have highlighted, we will not hesitate to take further action.”

Portsoy councillor John Cox acknowledged the home had not met expectations.

“The report was not very good, but we have met with officers and we will hopefully have a follow-up meeting to find out, in more detail, the changes that have been made in terms of an action plan to ensure the welfare of residents and staff is being addressed,” he said.

Ritchie Johnson, the council’s director of communities, said improvements were still being made.

“The Care Inspectorate felt that, due to the short time between the two inspections, changes had not yet bedded into the practice or culture of the home, therefore, the grades remained low,” he added.

“We can assure residents and their families that Durnhythe Care Home remains a top priority for the service.”