Midlothian care home told to make urgent improvements

An elderly care home has been ordered to make urgent improvements in the care provided to vulnerable residents.

The Care Inspectorate said serious concerns were raised during an inspection of Springfield Bank Nursing Home in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, at the start of 2018.

Inspectors were concerned people living in the home were not receiving sufficient care and support to meet their health and personal care needs.

An improvement notice has now been served on the home requiring action to be taken in six areas, including staffing levels, nutrition of residents, medicine management and the treatment of pressure ulcers.

Management at the care home said it has been working hard to address concerns by increasing training available to staff and introducing a rigorous induction programme for new colleagues''.

A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said: The Improvement Notice we have served clearly lays out the improvements we must see so that the care provided to residents improves quickly.

We will visit this care home again soon to check on progress and if we are not satisfied that the matters raised are being addressed urgently we will not hesitate to take further action.

Everyone in Scotland has the right to safe, compassionate care which meets their needs and respects their rights.

Anyone with a concern can contact our helpline on 0345 600 9527.''

A spokesman for the home said: The health, safety, and wellbeing of everyone we care for are our highest priorities.

We were disappointed with the Improvement Notice, which is based on inspections carried out in December 2017 and January 2018.

We take feedback from the Care Inspectorate very seriously, and since the inspections, we have been working hard to address its concerns. We have increased the level of training available to staff, and have introduced a rigorous induction programme for new colleagues, to ensure they are aware of and adhere to the high levels of care we expect within the home.

The Care Inspectorate is pleased with the progress being made in the home, and we are working closely with the regulator, and the local authority, as we continue to make improvements.

We are confident that we will have addressed all aspects of the Improvement Notice by April, and we look forward to welcoming the Inspectorate back in the future to demonstrate the progress we have made.'