A Perthshire care home has been branded “unclean” and is “compromising the safety” of residents, according to a watchdog.
Staff at Stormont Lodge Care Home Service, in Kirk Wynd, Blairgowrie, have been given until November 21 to clean up their act.
In their findings, the inspectors said they were concerned for the safety and welfare of residents at the Balhousie Care-run facility.
The concerns by the Care Inspectorate come following an unannounced visit to the care home on October 27.
The visit was a follow up to a previous visit by inspectors in July. On that occasion staff were given until September to make improvements around Covid care practices.
Unclean toilets
Several concerns are listed as ongoing, including unclean toilets, PPE lying around, a dirty commode and a “very unclean” bucket used for cleaning.
In the latest report, the Care Inspectorate concluded: “Our focus in this inspection was to follow up requirements made at our last inspection.
People’s welfare and safety was compromised by risks which could be avoided.”
“As part of this follow up inspection we carried out a check of the environment and concluded that people’s welfare and safety was compromised by risks which could be avoided.”
The latest report highlighted several areas of concern and listed five requirements that must be carried out.
It did however highlight some improvements that have been made since the first inspection in the summer.
Significant concerns
The report states: “The home is a large building with many rooms and communal areas. In the main, communal areas and corridors were reasonably tidy and free from clutter.
“However, we found the service to be performing at a weak level, with significant concerns about the level of cleanliness within communal bathrooms and toilets.
“We found shared equipment that was in need of a deep clean, the floor in one bathroom was not clean, a mop bucket used for cleaning the floors was also very unclean.”
The report added that rooms were cluttered, making it difficult to clean them, and PPE was lying on the floor behind the toilet.
“In one person’s bedroom their commode was not clean,” it stated.
“We found a number of personal toiletries and topical treatments, which should
have been returned to people’s bedrooms left behind in communal bathrooms.
“However, we found the service to be performing at a weak level, with significant concerns about the level of cleanliness within communal bathrooms and toilets.”
The report said however: “At the previous inspection we made a requirement
regarding refurbishment of the laundry.
“This work has commenced and the provider has chosen to improve the facilities by installing a new laundry. This work is due to be completed in the next four weeks.
The report did find that the home had good supplies of PPE and staff knew how to access it.
It said: “We saw staff and visitors wearing masks appropriately to reduce the risk of transmission of airborne infections.”
Improvement requirements
Improvements required by November 21 include:
- Ensuring that the internal premises, furnishings, and equipment are safe, clean, and tidy.
- Personal toiletries and topical treatments should be returned to people’s bedroom after use.
- Ensure that processes such as enhanced cleaning schedules and regular quality assurance checks of the cleaning undertaken are in place.
The report added that in particular the service provider must ensure that clinical waste is stored safely and disposed of in a manner which takes account of the most up-to-date guidance from Health Protection Scotland.
Operators ‘working hard’ to fix issues
A spokeswoman for Balhousie Care Group said: “The Care Inspectorate’s findings at Stormont fall short of what we expect in the group, where the wellbeing and care of our residents are our utmost priority.
“We are working hard to ensure that their requirements are not only met but exceeded.”
Earlier this year Balhousie Care Group owner Tony Banks said the group was about to invest £6 million in its facilities after strong financial results.
