Improvements must be made to care for older people at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy as a “matter of priority”, according to inspectors.
The Victoria Hospital is still providing poor care to older people despite being criticised in a report last year, according to the latest inspection report.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland said patient meals at the Vic were poorly organised.
Inspectors found patient records were not being completed, and screening for dementia was not routinely carried out.
The report on December’s unannounced inspection highlighted one area of strength and 11 areas for improvement.
Many of those improvements had been identified during a previous inspection in May 2013.
The inspectors who visited the hospital between December 15 and 17 criticised NHS Fife for moving patients with cognitive impairment from specialist wards for non-medical reasons, a practice known as boarding.
The report said: “Although we are assured there have been improvements in the way NHS Fife manages patient capacity and flow, we remain concerned about patients with cognitive impairment being boarded for non-clinical reasons.
“Boarding is when patients are moved from one ward to another to meet the needs of the service and not the patient’s clinical needs.”
Jacqueline Macrae, head of quality of care at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said there had been examples of “positive, caring and friendly interactions between staff and patients, with the majority speaking highly of the care they received.
“Staff told us they felt supported by senior management and wards were managed in a calm and organised manner.
“However, we identified several areas where NHS Fife must improve the care provided to older people.”
She said these areas for improvement needed to be addressed “as a matter of priority”.
For more on this story see Wednesday’s Courier.