Inverness care home residents were observed as having ‘significant levels of bruising’, wearing ‘dirty and stained clothing’ and ‘walking around in socks or bare feet’ by inspectors.
The Care Inspectorate rated Castlehill Care Home, in Cradlehall, as “weak” regarding supporting well-being, staff, leadership, and care planning during a visit last month.
Operator Morar Living says the grades given by the Care Inspectorate are not “a true reflection” of the care provided and says residents were never “at risk”.
While staff were kind and engaging, there was a lack of attention to detail, according to the report.
Inspectors wrote: “We saw some people were wearing dirty and stained clothing; some people were walking around in socks or bare feet, and we had to point out to staff members that some people needed their personal care attended to.
“We saw significant levels of bruising on people’s hands and arms. Body maps were not used consistently to record new bruising, cuts or abrasions for people or to document the application of topical medication.
‘People were eating from plates balanced on their knees’
There was a lack of staff to allow meal times to run smoothly.
“We saw that some people were eating from plates balanced on their knees or from low coffee tables.”
Due to low staffing levels, they observed residents left alone when upset or anxious.
The report did acknowledge the “attractive and comfortable setting” at Castlehill and that residents had personalised their rooms, allowing them to feel more settled.
However, the care home was not “dementia-friendly” according to inspectors.
“We saw several people on the first floor walking with purpose. Often they appeared to be disorientated and lost.
“The corridors were quite bland without any key markers to aid them.”
There was also criticism of care plans, which “lacked detail” and were unclear in areas such as nutrition.
The Care Inspectorate has issued the care home with a list of improvements it needs to implement to meet the standards of care expected.
It includes staff recruitment and training to help better assist the needs of residents.
Inspectors also suggest making changes to promote a dementia-friendly environment.
Morar Living says ‘weak’ rating does not reflect care given at Castlehill Care Home
A spokesperson for Morar Living said: “As a provider, we identified areas of concern as part of our self–evaluation, internal quality process on a regular and ongoing basis.
“In May 2024, within Castlehill Care Home, we implemented a robust self-improvement plan and notified the Care Inspectorate of our findings and improvements made prior to the Care Inspectorate visiting the home to carry out an inspection.
“We have made progress and improvements since the inspection took place on 14th June 2024 and will continue to do so.”
They added: “We feel that the grades of “weak” are disproportionate to the delivery of care, given that we identified the concerns ourselves and had already implemented a robust plan to improve these.
“We are currently seeking advice from the appropriate parties and can assure our residents of the high standard of care that we have provided for the past five years.”
You can track and compare care home performance in Inverness and beyond with our data team’s tracker, which also explains in detail how inspections work and services are graded.
Conversation