Staff at Rosendael Veterans’ Home in Broughty Ferry opened and withheld residents’ personal mail including letters from the benefits agency and accessed confidential computer records they were not entitled to.
Complaints made against management at the home have now been upheld by the Care Inspectorate for Scotland.
The claims were admitted to the inspectorate during an unannounced investigation to the home, and have now been secretly revealed to The Courier.
Following the inspectorate’s probe, Tayside Police have confirmed they were called in to investigate the mail interception allegations.
A spokesman said: ”Tayside Police can confirm that we are making inquiry into a complaint at an address in Victoria Road, Broughty Ferry, Dundee.”
The move follows an unannounced swoop by inspectors last month, after which the inspectorate has confirmed that three complaints, covering 11 elements, have been either fully or partially upheld.
While the inspectorate has declined to specify the exact nature of the complaints, The Courier has seen written evidence that staff have admitted to inspectors that they opened and retained private and personal mail, including letters regarding residents’ housing benefit details.
The staff members also admitted accessing confidential computer records, stating they believed they were entitled to do this.
The Care Inspectorate has now ordered Scottish Veterans’ Residences (SVR), who run Rosendael, to take immediate action to remedy the situation.
The inspection of Rosendael which began on September 6 came after allegations of bullying, harassment and intimidation of residents by staff following the death of a 38-year-old resident from a suspected drugs overdose. SVR has strongly denied there is any link between the death of ex-RAF man Mark Forrest and the allegations.
A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said: ”The Care Inspectorate has concluded both the complaint investigation and unannounced inspection of Scottish Veterans’ Rosendael Housing Support service. The inspection report will appear on our website as a public document once finalised in the next few weeks.
”The Care Inspectorate investigated a total of three complaints covering 11 elements. Our investigation was extensive and thorough. We have upheld one of the complaints fully and partially upheld the other two complaints.
”We have made a number of requirements on the care service to action and will be monitoring the service closely to ensure improvement.”
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”The Care Inspectorate would ask that any person who has concerns about a service to raise these with the service and or the Care Inspectorate.”
A Rosendael source, who had initially brought the allegations to The Courier, said he felt vindicated by the report but said nothing at the home had changed so far, apart from the departure of deputy manager Carole Martin, who has left the service to pursue a ”career change”.
The source said there is no question, at least in his mind, that the staff members would go to any lengths to access private and confidential information concerning residents to be used for whatever purpose that they saw fit and to give them control over the residents’ personal lives.
The Courier has also seen written evidence that a computer belonging to the Gardening Leave project at Rosendael, which has since ceased to operate at the premises, had been accessed and personal data had been downloaded and copied, including medical records.
Ian Ballantyne, chief executive of Scottish Veterans’ Residences, said: ”We welcome this report from the Care Inspectorate which follows complaints made against the staff and policies of Rosendael House.
”Firstly, the report makes no connection between the tragic death of one of our residents and the complaints that were sent to the Care Inspectorate. We have always been adamant that the two issues were completely unrelated and have been concerned that a small group of individuals may have sought to use the tragedy as a platform to promote their own agenda.
”The report also makes no suggestion of there being any evidence of bullying or harassment within the facility, fully contradicting claims that have been perpetrated by some of these individuals in the media.
”What this report does tell us is that there are some areas of procedure which need to be addressed. While I am certain that our staff always act in the best interests of the residents, I accept that they may have exceeded their role and responsibility in carrying out their duties and we will therefore review some of our policies going forward.
”The Care Inspectorate report also includes specific points with which we take issue and propose to appeal. While we are totally focused on providing a safe and stable residential environment for ex-servicemen and women, Rosendael House is an independent living facility, not a care home.
”As a charity operating with finite resources and facing a high demand for our services, there is a requirement to have rules and policies in place to ensure we best accommodate the needs of the majority of our residents.
”We accept that rules and procedures may not always suit everyone but without them in place we threaten the viability of the great service we are able to provide. The veterans residing at Rosendael continue to live in a safe, friendly environment where they are supported by fully trained, vetted staff members who care deeply about their welfare.”
A spokesman for Gardening Leave said: ”We have not yet seen the report and so find it difficult to comment fully. However, normally we would always welcome whatever the Care Inspectorate says.”
The Care Inspectorate can be contacted on 0845 600 9527 or at www.careinspectorate.com