Serious failings have been uncovered by inspectors during an unannounced visit to a Perthshire care home.
Within just five months of a previous inspection, standards at Catmoor House in Scone had dropped significantly.
Inspectors listed a catalogue of concerns over the level of care being provided to residents, including failure to administer vital medicine.
In one case, a resident who was prescribed antibiotics for a chest infection only received part of the dose each day.
Medication reports revealed that the resident was asleep by the time the last dose should have been given and that no steps had been taken to rectify this.
Other issues included missing signatures from medication administration sheets, suggesting that some residents may not have received their treatment.
Meanwhile, failings were also picked up in some nutrition plans, particularly one created for a resident who continued to lose weight.
The resident’s food intake was meant to be monitored for three days and referral made to a dietician, but inspectors were unable to find any evidence of this actually being done.
A report by the Care Inspectorate highlighted a number of concerns that HC-One, operators of Catmoor House, had failed to address since its last inspection in June.
It stated: “We discussed staffing levels with the temporary manager and she confirmed that there were ongoing staffing issues. The service tried to cover shortages with agency staff and we were told that, on some occasions, the agencies used were not able to supply staff or cancelled at short notice.
“We also examined duty rotas between October 21 and November 3. These showed that on day shift during this period, on no occasions had the home achieved the required six care staff across the home.
“On one occasion, there had only been one nurse on duty.”
During a tour of the care home, inspectors reported cleaning trolleys, hoists and a portable heater being left in the corridor, providing an obstacle for frail residents.
As a result of their visit to Catmoor House, they graded the quality of care and support as weak.
They also gave quality of environment and quality of management and leadership a grading of adequate.
In stark contrast, an inspection carried out in January last year resulted in gradings of good across the board.
A spokesperson for HC-One Limited told The Courier they would now be working to meet the requirements of inspectors.
“Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and wellbeing of those we support,” said the spokesperson.
“We can confirm that the Care Inspectorate recently conducted a routine inspection of our home, where we received some clear guidance on areas which need improvement. Following the inspection, we immediately implemented a full action plan and there is an interim manager in post to support these improvements.
“The care team and the interim manager are working exceptionally hard to ensure we provide the highest standards of care.”