A Fife care home where 19 residents died during a coronavirus outbreak has been criticised for its infection control practices.
The Care Inspectorate raised serious concerns about cleanliness at Lomond Court Nursing Home in Glenrothes and judged its care and support as weak.
Inspectors found the practices had a “significant impact on the wellbeing of people experiencing care”.
They said welfare and safety was compromised by “risks which could be avoided” and ordered immediate action.
Levels of cleanliness were poor and required immediate attention.”
Care Inspectorate report.
The home’s owner, HC-One, has acknowledged its standards were not high enough but said issues were rectified immediately.
Lomond Court provides 24-hour nursing care and support to 40 older people with mental frailty.
Almost half the residents died during one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in Fife.
The first case was identified in December and a total of 31 elderly people had tested positive by the middle of last month.
A further 40 staff and others linked to the home also tested positive.
The home is now Covid-free.
Scotland’s care regulator issued a letter of serious concern following an unannounced visit on January 12.
It found the home’s environment was unsatisfactory.
“Levels of cleanliness were poor and required immediate attention to help minimise the potential spread of infection,” inspectors said.
“The management of clinical waste was not satisfactory which caused risks to staff, people living in the home and visitors.”
Significant concerns
The Care Inspectorate also raised significant concerns about how the home’s laundry was managed after finding clean items on the floor.
People experiencing care were not appropriately protected.”
Care Inspectorate report.
In addition, uncovered food and milk was stored in a dirty fridge that was not switched on.
“We determined there was no shared sense of responsibility or clarity among staff about their roles in ensuring the environment and equipment was clean and free from infection,” the inspectors said.
“All of these issues increased the risks of infection to everyone in the home.
“People experiencing care were not appropriately protected because there was not adequate cleaning of the care home.”
Inspectors found “significant improvements” during unannounced follow-up inspections on January 15, 18 and 19.
Some equipment and furniture had been disposed of and the manager had introduced enhanced checks to ensure a high standard of cleaning.
“These improvements help to minimise risk of cross infection for residents and staff,” inspectors said.
“We want to be assured that improvements will be sustained and have made a requirement to address this.”
HC-One’s response
A spokesperson for HC-One said the firm was confident inspectors would find further improvements at their next visit.
Staff are doing all they can to support the families of those who died, the spokesperson said.
“Residents become part of our family and their loss is felt deeply by carers who have built relationships with them over many years,” they said.
“The health, safety and wellbeing of our residents is our number one priority, and we take all feedback from the Care Inspectorate very seriously.
“We were therefore disappointed by the Care Inspectorate’s findings and we acknowledge we had not achieved the high standards our residents rightfully expect and deserve.
“We took action to rectify the issues identified immediately and we have received positive reports on our progress since.”
The statement went on: “The inspection report highlights that ‘staff had worked very hard and made significant improvements in the cleanliness of the environment.’
“Our team are continuing to work diligently to ensure all feedback is addressed, the home has been provided extra support at a local and senior level and each resident’s care plan is being reviewed and updated as appropriate.
“We are confident that the home has high standards of infection control which allow our colleagues to deliver the safest and highest quality care.
“We are working closely with all relevant authorities and we are certain that the Care Inspectorate will be able to see further improvements at our next inspection.”
