A Moray care home accused of burning residents with hot water bottles and not showing them “respect” is looking for a new owner.
Lythe Care Home, near Cullen, has been put up for sale for offers of more than £1.3million.
Earlier this year, the home was graded some of the lowest possible marks from inspectors after numerous failings were exposed.
The Care Inspectorate said it had “significant concerns” about resident’s dignity and safety, and that they were worried the residents were not always given the “support or reassurance” they needed.
Management was ordered to carry out “significant improvement work” immediately.
Last night, the care watchdog confirmed the home’s operator RDS Healthcare has put the business up for sale as a “going concern”.
A spokesman said: “The Care Inspectorate is in close contact with the provider to ensure that residents’ needs continue to be met and their rights respected during this process.”
When the home was contacted, a spokeswoman declined to comment on the sale or the latest inspection, but stressed it was “business as normal” at Lythe.
Inspectors visited the Cullen home earlier this year during two “unannounced” inspections, in which they interviewed residents, staff and carers and analysed the running of the facility.
It was awarded just two’s – weak – for the quality of care and support and the quality of management.
While they accepted that numerous staff had been working at the home for many years and knew the needs of their residents well, they ruled that several aspects of care were not good enough and that management had failed to act on previous warnings.
The inspectors became aware that a resident had sustained a burn from a hot water bottle prepared by a staff member.
“We had concerns about how this incident had occurred and was managed,” they said.
“We also became aware that this was the second incident of a burn with a hot water bottle, yet the home had not reviewed their practice.”
The inspectors also slammed how staff managed residents’ money, and raised concerns that carers were not giving residents the attention they needed.
They also found that Lythe had failed to act on orders to improve the environment of the home, and that the residents were exposed to the risk of Legionella.
The business – which is registered for 36 residents – is being offered for sale for offers over £1,325,000.