Published: Wednesday, 28th November, 2007 12:30
Staffing crisis at care home
By David Knox
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A NURSING home in Selkirk has come under fire after a string of complaints were lodged with the care watchdog – including claims that one resident was forced to sleep on a wooden pallet.
Furious family members contacted both the Care Commission and the Border Telegraph with concerns for their loved ones.
We were told how visitors often have to clean up and help with other care duties as staff numbers are so low at Riverside Healthcare Centre.
Formal complaints have also been lodged with the Care Commission, who have made several visits to the 45-bed home this year, including an unannounced inspection only two weeks ago.
One relative of a resident at Riverside, who we agreed not to name, told us: “The staffing levels in this place are horrendous and it isn’t right that they are getting away with it.
“People are approaching the manager all the time about things and she admits she doesn’t have the staff to do all the jobs.
“I have seen members of staff in there in tears because they have so much to do and most of the old folk have given up trying to get things done.”
The Care Commission probed a complaint in May that food was left lying on floors for days at a time, as well as other cleaning duties being ignored.
Another complaint, lodged in April, described how one dying resident had been sleeping on a wooden pallet placed on a floor.
And another complaint from March about staff shortages led to another full investigation.
When interviewed by inspectors staff described morale as ‘very low’ and it was noted that they appeared to all be ‘exhausted’.
And the inspectors found rules were regularly being flaunted as elderly residents were left unattended for long periods of time.
Another family member told the Border Telegraph: “Nobody is blaming the staff who work at Riverside – they do their best – but there simply isn’t enough of them.
“The place is shocking and I know a few people who are considering taking their relatives out of there.”
The latest newsletter to appear from Riverside Healthcare Centre claims that they are approaching the European Union to ease the staffing crisis by employing foreign nationals.
But it was only this year that they removed split shifts and reduced the number of care assistants and domestic staff when resident numbers dropped.
Lawrie Davidson, regional manager for the Care Commission, said: “We currently have a number of requirements for improvement in place against this service, including staffing issues, and we expect these to be met.”
“These requirements have been put in place following regulatory activity such as regular inspections and complaint investigations.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and will be visiting the service to inspect it in the near future.”
We attempted to contact owner Arthur McLean, at both Riverside and another home in Glasgow, but he did not return our calls
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