An understaffed Fife care home could be shut down after inspectors found residents’ safety was at risk.
Chapel Level Nursing Home in Kirkcaldy has been served an improvement notice following an inspection between October 7 and 10 where a series of issues were identified.
A report from the Care Inspectorate found a lack of night-time staff was “unsatisfactory and put people at significant risk of harm”.
The care home has been given until November 27 to improve on some of the issues and December 11 for one other.
Chapel Level, which is owned by HC-One Limited, provides care and accommodation for up to 60 older people.
Chapel Level home staff ‘referred to residents by room numbers instead of names’
During the inspection, some staff members were found to be referring to the residents by their room numbers and not their names.
Inspectors also received feedback that staff were taking lengthy periods to respond to buzzers – resulting in a resident being unnecessarily incontinent.
Another resident, deemed to be at high risk of choking, was left to eat on their own.
And one resident, who was at risk of falling, fell in the lounge with no staff present to intervene or support them.
The report said: “This was not safe and put the person at risk of harm.”
A letter of concern was issued to Chapel Level following the inspection due to the low staffing levels, giving the home 72 hours to make improvements.
Inspectors found there were large periods when the lounge, which should be supervised at all times, was left unsupervised.
Staffing levels at Chapel Level home had ‘detrimental impact’ on residents
People experiencing the care also told inspectors that staffing levels were, at times, too low to fully meet the needs of the residents.
The report added: “These staffing levels had a detrimental impact on people’s experiences.
“This included not being supported appropriately to eat and drink, not having regular access to meaningful activities, not being kept comfortable and having continence needs being met effectively and care plans containing inconsistent information.
“All these concerns put people at risk of harm.”
In a follow-up, inspectors found that staffing levels had increased and call bells were being answered more quickly.
Inspectors also found the home to be clean and tidy and found that people were treated kindly by some members of staff.
Improvement notice issued to Kirkcaldy home after care inspection
However, Chapel Level was served an improvement notice meaning it faces being shut down unless changes are made.
By November 27, the home must improve its choking and falls protocol, and handling training.
An action plan must be in place and implemented with evidence of improvement.
And by December 11, the home must ensure staffing levels at all times have been increased and improved.
Chapel Level operator ‘disappointed’ with report
A spokesperson for Chapel Level said: “We are committed to providing high-quality, kind care to all those who make their home with us.
“We take the feedback of the regulator extremely seriously and are therefore disappointed with the outcome of the latest Care Inspectorate report into our home.
“We took immediate action to address the issues identified by the Care Inspectorate team when they visited our home in October.
“As the report acknowledges, we immediately put in place measures which boosted our staffing levels and fulfilled this requirement of the inspection report.
“Other changes take longer to fully take effect, and we are continuing to work with our Care Inspectorate partners in line with our comprehensive action plan to address the remaining areas of feedback identified.
“With the support of additional senior oversight and presence in the home, we are all committed to making and embedding the changes needed to bring our home up to the high standards our residents expect and deserve.”
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