Care watchdogs are probing a complaint following the death of an Aberdeen care home resident.
It is understood the woman died within the past month and was resident at the Riverside care home.
While the circumstances around the death are unclear, the Care Inspectorate have received a complaint and are investigating with partners.
Referrals from the council have been temporarily suspended for four weeks following an agreement between the council and the home’s operators Craigard Care Ltd.
Meetings are now taking place between the operators, NHS and council bosses.
Earlier this month, a report from the care inspectorate on the home said improvements had been made since a 2018 inspection raised concerns about standards, but more could still be done.
North-east MSP Lewis MacDonald, who is also the convener of the health and sport committee at Holyrood, said: “Families of people with relatives in this home and other homes run by the same group will want reassurance that all that can be done is being done to ensure their relatives are safe and whatever may lie behind this story is an isolated incident and not something that might happen again.
“Clearly, people in care homes are in a very vulnerable stage in their lives and if there is any risk to those people then clearly the care commission and other authorities will have to make sure that people are as safe as they possibly can.”
Council co-leader Douglas Lumsden said the suspension of referrals was the “right thing” until a “proper investigation” was carried out.
He added: “It’s important that we find out what happened here and get assurance that it is safe to refer residents to the home.”
A country-wide inquiry is due to start this year into care homes and the future of social care across Scotland.
Last night a spokesman for the Care Inspectorate confirmed they had received a complaint.
He said: “Everyone in Scotland has the right to good quality, safe and compassionate care which meets their needs and respects their rights.
“A concern has been raised about this care service and we are liaising with our partners who are looking into this.
“Anyone with a concern about a care service can contact the Care Inspectorate on 0345 600 9527, anonymously if necessary.
“We take all concerns seriously and consider all information given to us carefully.”
A spokesman for Craigard Care Ltd said a complaint had been raised with the Care Inspectorate.
“In line with client confidentiality rules, we cannot comment on individual cases, but any complaint received is taken very seriously and investigated appropriately,” he said.
“To that end, we work openly and transparently with all stakeholders, including the Health and Social Care Partnership and the Care Inspectorate and welcome the opportunity this gives to improve outcomes for residents, their representatives and our staff.”
