Alarm over inspection at Inverness care home
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AN organisation supporting elderly people has expressed its shock after government inspectors slapped weak ratings on the care and support given to patients at a city care home.
Dr Ian McNamara, chairman of the Highland Senior Citizens Network, said he was stunned by the findings of a report which revealed some residents at Southside Nursing Home were going to bed hungry and had long dirty fingernails and toenails which had been left to grow so long they may have been causing the patients pain and difficulty walking.
He said: "Southside used to have an extremely good reputation. From a senior citizen’s point of view we are deeply disappointed and trust that things will be dealt with as soon as possible."
The care home has placed a voluntary embargo on receiving new patients while they carry out improvement work outlined in the report.
It was written up following an unannounced visit on February 16.
Quality of care and support and quality of management and leadership were graded as weak.
Quality of environment and staffing received "adequate" grades.
In their report inspectors said: "From our observations, we could see that residents were not always experiencing good and consistent care and consequently their health and wellbeing was at risk.
"We found that although a resident had been assessed as having dry vulnerable skin, he had not been prescribed any topical creams. We could see some residents with long dirty fingernails. It was also stated some residents’ toe nails were too long which could affect their ability to walk and cause pain."
The home’s new manager Georgina Simes said some staff had recently left and new carers were being recruited. She said: "I have come in after that inspection to actually improve the home."
An NHS Highland spokesman said: "We are working with Southside Care Home to support them alongside Scottish Care."
