A care home has been instructed to make improvements after concerns a pensioner was being neglected and not given sufficient food and water.
Blar Buidhe care home in Stornoway must make seven main changes involving a raft of actions to be implemented by February.
Five further recommendations have been issued by the Care Inspectorate which upheld seven out of 10 complaints made by relatives of the pensioner.
Council-
The local authority wants an urgent meeting with the care home bosses to discuss the failings highlighted by inspectors.
Apart from two spells in hospital, an eighty-
Her concerned family raised issues about the care she was getting in the home and
-
The elderly woman became very ill and died in hospital on August 13th just before her 81st birthday.
She lost six stones in weigh while in the home, say her family.
A damning report from the Care Inspectorate said Blar Buidhe repeatedly failed to effectively respond to concerns over her care.
Complaint inspector Michael Watson highlighted situations where the staff did not have sufficient training and the home failed to implement its own rules.
The woman -
The report stated there was evidence she was at “high risk of malnutrition” almost since she came into the facility.
The report backed suggestions staff gave her cups of tea and water but took them away, still full. Her fluid intake was not recorded. Inaccurate figures were put down and the notes were incomplete.
Michael Watson said the staff concerned were not properly trained in nutritional needs and did not call in a dietician even when she continued to lose weight.
The family maintains she was left unsupported for long periods, such as being left on a bedpan for too long without staff checking.
On one occasion, she was left in a state of undress for a lengthy period with the cover pulled off her bed and her nightie up over her waist, relatives told the care inspector.
The family also complained she got a mouth ulcer because her oral health was being neglected.
In addition, they were concerned she was kept confined to her bed without any exercise or physical activity. Instructions to improve her mobility were not carried out.
The inspector said there was no evidence care staff understood the importance of mobility for the pensioner’s health.
She was known to be at high risk of suffering urinary tract infections yet the care home failed to take preventative measures, the report highlighted.
The care home has now been ordered to ensure patients get sufficient food and to take action to avoid malnutrition and dehydration as well as to keep better records.
It is also required to have systems in place so patients have proper care for their general and specific health needs including toileting and mobility.
This includes demonstrating staff have the “necessary skills and experience” and will seek advice from health professionals when required.
The home must also ensure residents get proper oral health care and also receive the opportunity to move about.
In addition, the home has been told to make sure patients are not given medication they are allergic to.
A HC-
“Over the last three years we have achieved a very good rating in each of our previous inspections, and we are very sorry this was not the experience of this resident.”
“The Care Inspectorate have completed a full inspection of the home and we received very positive feedback on the day.
“We are confident the home continues to provide good quality care to residents, and will continue to work hard to ensure every resident receives the standard of care we pride ourselves on.”
Western Isles Council which places many elderly people under the care of Blar Buidhe is concerned over the pensioner’s treatment.
Social work chief Iain Macaulay said: “I have asked for a meeting with Blar Buidhe as a matter of priority to discuss the matter at which time I will express our concerns and explain that we will be putting in place additional monitoring measures.
“This care home received four grade 5 (very good) inspection grade results in a Care Inspectorate inspection earlier this year, including some positive feedback from residents and families.
“However, in this case the care received by this resident significantly fell short of this standard.”
Care home improvements ordered after pensioner’s treatment
17 December 2014