Bosses at a Fife care home have been told to make urgent improvements after inspectors rated its performance during the Covid-19 pandemic as “weak”.
The Care Inspectorate has issued a number of requirements for staff at Craigie House in Crossgates following an unannounced inspection in August.
The inspection raised concerns about infection control practices. Provider Kingdom Homes has been told to ensure there are sufficient trained housekeeping staff on duty and to put in place enhanced cleaning schedules.
The Care Inspectorate said staff and essential visitors should have been having their temperatures recorded and a medical questionnaire relating to Covid-19 symptoms completed before they allowed into the care home.
However, visitors were directed past the lounge area and through a corridor to the duty room prior to this being done.
“This put people in the service at risk of being in contact with people with Covid-19 symptoms,” said the report.
Inspectors said care staff told them they were being regularly asked to pick up cleaning tasks on top of their caring duties.
“This meant that staff had less time available to spend meeting people’s needs,” the report continued.
“Staff were working hard and doing their best however, they lacked training or confidence in using cleaning materials to undertake these tasks appropriately.”
When inspectors pointed out carpets on the staircase and the corridors of the first and second floor were in poor condition and appeared dirty, they were told planned improvements to the premises had been paused due to the pandemic.
They also highlighted a lack of management oversight of daily and weekly enhanced cleaning schedules, meaning they could not be assured satisfactory levels of cleanliness were being consistently maintained.
The report found personal protective equipment (PPE) and hand sanitiser stocks were available to staff, but noted PPE stations were “disorganised”, there was no PPE available in a number of rooms and no wipes or tissues were available in the lounges.
Residents spoke highly of staff, saying they had “kept them going” during the lockdown, and praised the work done by a new activities co-ordinator.
Video calls, phone calls and photo messages via email were introduced to support contact between people and their families, although the Care Inspectorate said there was scope for those contacts to be expanded.
“People told us that they often found it difficult to hear their loved ones, both during phone calls and garden visits and that they found this off putting,” the report added.
“The service could provide more individual and specific support, which would reflect people’s needs and preferences and document this in their personal support plan.”
Kingdom Homes, which can provide care for up to 30 people at Craigie House, has said all the requirements will be met ahead of a follow-up inspection.
