A Coupar Angus home faced staffing problems and there were medication record errors at a Fife facility in the latest care round-up.
The Courier has taken a closer look at the most recent Care Inspectorate reports for Tayside, Fife and Stirling.
The organisation is the watchdog for the care industry and inspects providers such as care homes and childcare services to ensure they meet standards.
The watchdog grades services on key areas including wellbeing, leadership and staffing on a six-point scale where 1 is unsatisfactory and 6 is excellent.
Some reports were only published weeks after the inspections took place.
Balhousie Coupar Angus Care Home
Previous ratings
- Wellbeing – 3
- Staff – 2
New ratings
- Wellbeing – 3
- Staff – 2
Inspection date
- December 18
Two inspectors made an unannounced visit while a third was tasked with investigating a complaint made against the service.
They found there were not enough staff on duty to attend to people’s overall care and support needs.
This was particularly apparent during key times of the day, such as mornings and mealtimes.
Officials found staff struggled to meet the demands of people’s care, with little time for meaningful interaction.
As two members of staff were often needed to attend to people in their rooms or bathrooms, communal areas were left unobserved for periods.
Despite the issues, the inspectors found staff to be kind and caring.
People also appreciated the efforts workers made and their commitment towards providing good standards of care.
The care home was given an extension until February 16 for improvements to be made.
Bandrum Nursing Home, Saline, Fife
Inspection date
- December 17
Inspectors checked to see if any progress had been made on requirements set out during a previous inspection.
They discovered medication records did not match the actual number of tablets in stock.
The care home’s manager was also unable to share how much medication should be in stock as records were incomplete.
Staff were also unable to identify or address the root cause of the errors.
This left the inspectors feeling “concerned” about whether people were receiving their prescribed medication.
Bandrum was given until January 28 to sort the issue.
Balhousie Ruthven Towers, Auchterarder
Previous ratings
- Wellbeing – 3
- Leadership – 2
- Staff – 3
New ratings
- Wellbeing – 3
- Leadership – 2
- Staff – 3
Inspection date
- December 12
Inspectors returned to the care home after a “very disappointing” visit in November, when the facility was told to ensure residents were provided with nutritious meals, snacks and drinks.
In the latest visit, officials found the home was now providing a menu on a four-week rotational basis with a range of options available.
The Care Inspectorate observed two mealtimes and found them to be relaxed, well-paced and well-organised.
The inspection report said: “We saw people had access to drinks throughout the day and there was use of adapted cups for people who required them.
“From our observations and speaking to people, we were confident that the quality of food and nutrition within the home had sufficiently improved.”
Leys Park Care Centre, Dunfermline
Previous ratings
- Planning – 3
New ratings
- Planning – 3
Inspection date
- December 13
Inspectors said the home must improve its care plans to ensure people’s needs are met.
Officials urged managers to pay particular attention to death and dying care plans after they were either missing or provided limited information.
Inspectors saw evidence of six-monthly reviews taking place with people and their next of kin, but found examples “very limited”.
They also found there was no sufficient guidance to help staff recognise potential concerns and take appropriate action.
Forth View Care Centre, Leven
Previous ratings
- Wellbeing – 3
- Leadership – 3
- Planning – 3
New ratings
- Wellbeing – 3
- Leadership – 3
- Planning – 3
Inspection date
- December 10
In a previous visit in November, the home was told to improve the way it safeguarded and promoted people’s physical, emotional and psychological health – by ensuring residents spent time in ways that were meaningful.
But during the latest visit, the Care Inspectorate found this was not happening.
The officials felt support was not on offer due to reasons including inaccurate assessment of people’s needs and staffing changes.
The centre was given an extended deadline of March 14 to meet the requirements.
Other recent reports published by the Care Inspectorate are listed below (clicking will download a PDF):
You can find previous care round-ups on the Care Inspectorate section of our website.
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