A health watchdog has ordered urgent improvements at a Dundee hospital.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland has told the operators of Monroe House that staff are sometimes failing to treat its patients with dignity and respect and are themselves suffering from low morale.
The 26-bed hospital in Americanmuir Road looks after people with learning disabilities, mental health problems and challenging behaviour.
While during their unannounced visit they found the quality of care to be “good”, their report gives management and the environment “adequate” ratings and the quality of staffing is described as “weak” the second lowest grade on a six-point scale.
Chief Inspector Susan Brimelow said: “We have identified a significant number of areas where Monroe House must make improvements.
“Morale among staff was generally low and we found patients were not always being treated with dignity and respect.
“We were not satisfied that quality assurance processes were robust enough and found the overall hospital environment was tired.
“However, good systems were in place to manage medication and we saw evidence that service users are given the opportunity to comment on the care they receive.”
Ms Brimelow added: “This inspection resulted in eight requirements and six recommendations which Monroe House must address as a matter of priority. We will follow up these concerns in future inspections.”
The requirements include making sure patients records show when they have been given medication, introducing a risk management system and ensuring senior staff review any incidents within a reasonable timescale.
The inspectors also said they needed to see a full infection control and environmental audit carried out, with staff being ensured access to a hand-washing sink that complies with official guidance and that they use the correct products when cleaning body fluids.
The HIS report added that all staff must be aware of their responsibility to treat people properly and to challenge and report any poor practice they come across.
Monroe House was also ordered to carry out a refurbishment programme.
“The decor in some areas of the service is tired. We saw a lot of damage and staining on the walls throughout the service. Some of the en-suite and public bathrooms need to be replaced,” the inspectors’ report said.
During their visit the hospital owner’s regional manager said a refurbishment plan had been drawn up. The inspectors also recommended carrying out a staff survey to find out what issues are affecting morale.
Monroe House is run by Danshell Adult Healthcare, which took it over last year from Castlebeck Care after they went into administration.
A spokesperson for the hospital said: “Nothing is more important to us than the health and wellbeing of the people we support. We work closely with HIS and other relevant authorities to ensure we provide a good, safe service.
We continually strive to raise standards and welcome last year’s report from HIS. The report made clear requirements and recommendations which we have been working towards and completing through a comprehensive action plan.”