A care home on Skye has been criticised by inspectors for putting the welfare and safety of residents at risk.
Services delivered by Budhmor House Care Home in Portree were found to be unsatisfactory by the Care Inspectorate following an unannounced inspection last month.
Failings were identified across a number of areas including the support of people’s wellbeing, leadership and the home’s main setting.
The home is closing next month, which was announced pre-visit.
Operators CrossReach announced in March the home was shutting after plans to rebuild it were hampered by recruitment and financial woes.
It was due to shut this month, but that was postponed until the end of July.
Unsatisfactory level of cleanliness
In the meantime, inspectors have demanded immediate action to protect those residents still there.
The home has space for 29 residents, and at the time of the four-day inspection in May there were 14.
Upon arrival at the home, inspectors found the facility to be “cluttered and dirty”.
They issued an urgent letter citing serious concerns and despite some effort to declutter, inspectors said staff had failed to address their direct concerns.
Inspectors say without immediate action, people’s safety and welfare would be at risk of being compromised.
The flooring was found to be “worn and cracked” with paint and wallpaper peeling off the walls.
Dust and cobwebs were discovered in residents rooms and public places, alongside dead spiders and flies.
Damp was also found, with water found to be coming into the building, including around electrical plug sockets in a storage room.
‘Such risks cannot be tolerated’
In their report, the Care Inspectorate said the conditions “gave rise to significant and serious concerns” about their performance and infection prevention and control.
Inspectors said: “The current state of the floorings, wall coverings, and cupboards means that it would be very difficult to maintain a clean and safe environment.
“Some of the furniture had dirty, grease marks on it which were pointed out to management on the first day of our visit and hadn’t been cleaned off by the last day of our visit.
“The kitchen, including fridges, freezers and pantries were not clean. Kitchen cupboards were dirty and storage of baking tins and kitchen equipment were stored on the floor close to several dirty floor brushes and dustpans and a rodent trap; food storage boxes were also stored on the cupboard floor.”
Inspectors also found significant gaps in patients’ healthcare information and a lack of robust risk assessments as well as major weaknesses in critical aspects of performance.
They identified that the home’s audit findings were not consistent with their findings during the inspection and found recommendations from external agencies were not being met.
Recommendations
Staff have been given a list of improvements needed to bring the home’s level of care up to standard.
They have been told to ensure there is a clear management of linens whilst ensuring staff have the right support and skills to deliver safe care.
The Care Inspectorate has also told staff to impose a system in place to ensure they can show a culture of continual improvement moving forward.
Despite the review, staff were praised for showing kindness and care towards their residents.
Inspectors said: “It was very clear that staff knew the residents’ needs very well and worked with them in sensitive and supportive ways, promoting independence, acknowledging their concerns and sharing laughter.
“This means that there were positive and trusting relationships between staff and residents.”
A spokeswoman from CrossReach said: “We are very disappointed by the findings in the report, as it does not reflect the quality of care which we aspire to provide.
“We are working hard to remediate the issues identified, in the context of working towards closing the service at the end of July.
“The extremely difficult decision to close the care home came after strenuous efforts over a long period of time failed to resolve longstanding problems with recruitment, a building that has outlived its useful life, and after CrossReach had sustained significant financial losses.”
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