Bosses of an under-fire care home have vowed to raise their standards after a damning inspection report – their second this year.
Inspectors have criticised the Lythe Care Home for its “weak” environment, resident safety and care quality.
They also said they were “not confident” that residents of the home, near Cullen, were being encouraged or helped to eat or drink.
The Care Inspectorate also questioned the leadership of the home, and how risks are managed to ensure the 21 residents are kept safe.
Last night, senior management at the home, which is operated by RDS Healthcare, insisted they had taken action to comply with the recommendations for improvement.
A spokeswoman said: “There are a few twos and a three in this report, and there are some things in here we have to put our hands up and say they should have been done better than that.
“But we are addressing it.”
The latest inspection report, compiled after a visit to the home last month, raised concerns that although the residents “appeared” well cared for, they were not being encouraged to stay hydrated – with one person’s request for a drink refused.
Another resident was left with an untouched meal in front of them for several hours, indicating they “did not receive appropriate support or encouragement to eat”.
Inspectors also blasted the staff’s inconsistent record-keeping on the residents, how injuries were treated and specific incidents, such as falls.
Earlier this year, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) slammed the home for failing to protect residents from being scalded by boiling water, and ruled the home had not protected staff from the effects of hazardous legionella bacteria.
The breaches were unveiled just two months after the home was graded some of the lowest possible marks from the Care Inspectorate, who exposed numerous failings at the Cullen-based home.
The care watchdog accused it of burning residents with hot water bottles, and raised “significant concerns” about their dignity and safety.
Since the concerns over residents being exposed to hot water from showers and baths were raised, replacement specialist showers were fitted.
However, sourcing and instillation problems caused delays meaning users spent 10 weeks using just baths or full-body basin washes, and in the absence of a shower.
One resident reported not having had a bath for a month much to the “concern” of the care watchdog.
Last night the operators of the home – which is on the market for offer of more than £1.3million – said they hoped the stewardship of new manager Georgina Symes would improve conditions, and vowed to work harder to protect their residents.
They said steps had already been taken to address the concerns raised by inspectors.
A RDS managing agent said: “The Care Inspectorate has recognised this is a short-term issue and they will be coming back at the end of October to follow up, by which time management investigating the issues raised will have addressed them to the
inspectorate’s satisfaction.
“It did take a long time. We genuinely feel uncomfortable that it took that length of time, but it was done as carefully and as punctually as possible.”