A “cold” Dunfermline care home could be forced to close after a scathing inspection found it could not guarantee the safety of its 50-plus residents.
The Care Inspectorate has told Leys Park Care Home it needs to make urgent improvements to “make it safe, warm, and comfortable for people to live in”.
Inspectors visited in November and found people were having to wear outdoor jackets inside the home because it was so cold.
A report into the inspections – published this week – also said there were not enough staff on shift to meet people’s demands, and that residents were not being consistently treated with dignity and respect.
They further found that leadership at the care home, which had 52 people living in it at the time, needed urgent improvement.
Leys Park Care Home branded ‘weak’ and ‘unsatisfactory’ after inspection
Wolverhampton-based St Philips Care Limited, which runs the home, has now been told it needs to make “significant” improvements by March or the Care Inspectorate will start a legal process to have its registration cancelled, potentially forcing a closure.
The Care Inspectorate rated the home either “weak” or “unsatisfactory” – the lowest possible rating – in all areas.
The report said: “We carried out a full inspection and concluded that people were experiencing significantly poor outcomes as a result of using the service.
“The inspection highlighted critical weaknesses in relation to the environment, in particular the low temperature within the home and the poor condition in some areas of the building.
“This was putting people at risk of significant harm.”
People wearing several layers and outdoor jackets at ‘cold’ Dunfermline care home
The report detailed how a heating system at the home was “ineffective”.
It added:Â “Most areas of the service were of an unacceptable temperature for people to live and work in.
“We observed some people wearing several layers of clothing, including outdoor jackets. People and staff told us they regularly felt cold.
“We took and gathered records of temperatures in the service, which again demonstrated a very poorly heated environment.”
Several areas of the building on Leys Park Road were found to be in disrepair and unsuitable for habitation.
The improvement notice, issued on January 11, sets out a series of requirements that must be met by March 1 – after the deadline was extended from the start of the year.
The notice warns the operator of Leys Park: “If there is no significant improvement within the revised timescale, we intend to make a proposal to cancel your registration in terms of section 64 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.”
It is the sixth improvement notice issued for the home since October 2022.
Gary Hartland, chairman of St Philips Care, said he was “disappointed” that the home had “dipped below our normal high standards”.
Leys Park ‘spending £2m to create luxury care home’
He said: “We are acting immediately on the concerns raised by the Care Inspectorate and are working with them to ensure that we swiftly return to our normal high standards.
“Leys Park was rated good in June, so we are confident that we can quickly return to this level.
“We have spent £2 million transforming Leys Park from a care home with basic facilities into a luxury care home with 54 rooms, all with wet rooms.
“This project is expected to be completed by December of this year.
“We have replaced the old heating system, which did operate at a reduced capacity for a short period, though we carefully monitored and recorded the temperature in the areas occupied by the residents, to ensure that the temperature remained comfortable.
“We would like to reassure all residents, friends and families that we are committed to working with the Care Inspectorate to swiftly rectify any issues, and ensure that we continue to offer the highest level of care to all of our residents.”
Conversation