A Tayside care home that was badly hit during the height of the pandemic has been praised for its current Covid-19 protocols.
The Care Inspectorate said the level of support and safeguarding of residents at Broughty Ferry’s Lochleven Care Home was good, as was staffing arrangements.
Its rankings for care and support during the pandemic as well as infection control practices were deemed adequate.
There were nine confirmed coronavirus deaths at the home between March and June, including staff member Karen Hutton, and another five suspected.
Inspectors noted residents appeared “happy and content” when they visited on September 2 and said they “looked to be enjoying the company of staff”.
The home was praised for ensuring residents have been able to keep in touch with family members via telephone calls, window visits, video calls and recent garden visits.
However, the team noted a lack of cleanliness in communal areas such as the kitchen and male changing rooms and said these had to be improved.
Protocols for safe disposal of clinical waste were also pinpointed as an issue.
In one example, PPE was found discarded in a resident’s room in a swing bin without a bin liner.
A spokesperson for Lochleven Care Home said: “We welcome the positive feedback from the Care Inspectorate that praised the interactions between staff and residents, highlighted the detailed and specific care plans that were in place and recognised the availability of adequate PPE and alcohol based hand rub.
“As noted in the report itself, the care home manager had already started implementing changes, in response to the small number of areas highlighted for improvement, by the time the inspection had concluded.
“There have since been further measures taken, including additional cleaning schedules for the staff changing rooms, implementation of additional deep cleans and encouraging our independent residents to dispose of spent face masks in the clinical waste bins.
“We have, and continue to, work closely with the care authorities to ensure we maintain the highest possible standard of care for all of our residents.”
