Inspectors have raised “serious concerns” about Banff Care Home due to water damage to the building, a new care report has revealed.
Care Inspectorate officials visited the service on Colleonard Road back in June.
The home can accommodate up to 56 residents, including those with dementia or learning disabilities.
During the visit, inspectors rated the service weak in four areas.
Meanwhile the setting was heavily criticised, leading to an “unsatisfactory” rating.
The report stated: “We identified serious concerns with the living conditions within the home.
“Many bedrooms and shared areas on the first floor were significantly affected by water damage.
“We requested that an audit of all bedrooms and shared areas was undertaken, this helped establish an accurate picture of the extent of the damage.”
Most of the bedrooms upstairs were impacted, the report said.
Water staining was visible on ceilings and down walls and in one person’s bedroom, there appeared to be black mould.
“We had serious concerns about the impact that living in an environment that had areas of damp and mould had on people’s health and wellbeing,” the inspectors continued.
“We had serious concerns that people had been living in these conditions for a considerable time, this is not respectful or dignified care.”
Inspectors prompted staff to move the resident to a different room, away from the mould.
Banff Care Home ‘significantly affected by water damage’
The inspectors were also concerned staff members had failed to recognise the dangers of allowing a resident to live near mould.
The water damage had caused issues with light fixtures throughout most of the upper floor.
Lights, unusable since water damage last year, were still waiting to be fixed, revealing a lack of action by the home.
Inspectors acknowledged that some problems stemming from water ingress had been solved, but the roof had yet to be sorted.
While interactions between staff and residents were “warm and friendly”, they were inconsistent.
The report stated: “One person buzzed for assistance and staff silenced
this alarm and left the room without engaging with the person and addressing their need.”
Inspectors said improvements had been made since the previous visit, including the dining experience, with residents noting the food quality.
A lack of training when it comes to dealing with people with dementia was also highlighted in the report.
“Some people living with dementia did not lead active or stimulating lives. Boredom is a trigger for distress.
“It was concerning that only a third of staff had completed dementia awareness training.”
‘Roofing works are due to commence in September’
A spokesperson for Banff Care Home said: “We are disappointed by the recent Care Inspectorate findings.
“We have however already begun to make positive steps towards improvement, and will continue to build upon these.
“Roofing works are due to commence in September which will see the building entirely re-roofed following identification of a design flaw, significant works have been ongoing to resolve this prior to the inspection.”
Read more: Track and compare care home performance in Scotland
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