An Ellon care home has been criticised by the Care Inspectorate for leaving residents in “unnecessary pain and discomfort”.
Auchtercrag Care Home on Commercial Road provides care for older people, some with mental health problems.
Inspectors found several failings during a visit last month, rating the home ‘weak’ for supporting people’s well-being, leadership and the staff team.
It follows a visit in May this year, where the home was ordered to improve in five areas.
Two of these were met outwith the timescale required. The deadline for one requirement, relating to sufficient staffing levels, has been extended to December 13 2024.
The deadline for the final two has been extended to January 17 2025.
A spokesperson for operator Meallmore said the home is “working hard to ensure that sustainable changes which have already begun are embedded in the service.”
‘Significant weaknesses’ in supporting people’s wellbeing
Observations included the lack of attention to oral hygiene, hair care and chaotic meal times in one unit.
Serious concerns were raised by inspectors about the lack of essential medications for residents.
The report stated: “Many medications were out of stock, and this meant that many people did not have their medications administered to help keep them well.
“For example, some people required essential medications to help minimise the effects of chronic health conditions and because these were not readily available, this increased the risk of a deterioration in their health and wellbeing.
Increased risk of ‘unnecessary pain and discomfort’ at Ellon care home
“Some pain-relieving medications were out-of-stock and this increased the risk of some people being in unnecessary pain and discomfort.
“Medications prescribed to help support regular bowel habits were not always administered.
“This increased the risk of constipation, and this impacted on people’s health and wellbeing.”
Inspectors urged the home to take immediate action to remedy this.
Increasing number of infections, falls and people losing weight at Auchtercrag Care Home
“In the previous three months, there had been a worsening clinical picture in the home.
“The number of infections, the number of falls and the numbers of people losing weight had all increased.”
Inspectors said there was a failure on the home’s behalf to act on the “worsening picture”.
Cleaning staff in one unit repeatedly left a cupboard open so cleaning products inside could be accessed by residents with dementia.
Families and relatives said there was good communication with the home, and they were confident in the service’s ability.
Staff were “friendly and approachable”, however, inspectors noted staff appeared distracted or lacked engagement.
At times, there was “insufficient” staffing and due to shortages of people on duty, inspectors said it “contributed to a few people falling”.
Auchtercrag ‘disappointed’ and say safety is priority
A spokesperson for Auchtercrag House said: “The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our top priority, so we are disappointed that some aspects of care delivery have not been to our expectations.
“We acknowledge a period of change in the service where several factors, including personnel and systems changes, resulted in some medication stock issues.
“While this did cause an increased risk, we have liaised with relevant family members and health professionals and resolved these issues with no identified detrimental effects to residents.
“We are working hard to ensure that sustainable changes which have already begun are embedded in the service.
“We have immediately implemented an action plan overseen by our support team and are working alongside the Health and Social Care Partnership, local multi-disciplinary partners and our existing team to make sure the areas of concern are addressed and improved as soon as possible.
“We have had regular and transparent contact with residents, staff and families to reassure them that our colleagues remain focused on ensuring everyone at Auchtercrag receives the highest standards of personalised, quality care and support.”
To find out more about care home performance, visit The Press and Journal’s care home tracker.
Conversation