Care home inspection highlights 'serious and significant' safety concerns

An improvement notice has been issued to a south of Scotland care home over "serious and significant concerns" about the service being provided to its residents.

The Care Inspectorate said it would not hesitate to take further action over the situation at Merse House in Kirkcudbright.

It said its first priority was the health and wellbeing of residents of the home.

Operators Park Homes UK said they took the situation "very seriously" and were "fully dedicated" to addressing the issues raised.

Merse House is a 32-bed care home situated close to the River Dee which provides specialist residential care to older people and people living with dementia.

The Care Inspectorate said full details of its inspection would be published in due course.

"We understand this is a difficult and distressing time for residents, their families and staff at the service," it said in a statement.

“However, our first priority is always the health and wellbeing of residents of the service.

"Because of our concerns about the safety of residents we have issued an improvement notice to the service."

It has set out the "significant improvements" that must be made - the majority of them within the next few weeks.

They include:

• ensuring adequate numbers of "skilled and competent" staff are on each shift
• making sure residents are provided with regular food and fluids
• providing a "safe and clean" environment for people in the home

"We are in contact with and monitoring the service to follow up on the required improvements," added the Care Inspectorate statement.

"If we are not satisfied that sustained improvement has been made we will not hesitate to take further action."

A statement from the operators said they were committed to maintaining the "highest standards of compliance and ensuring the safety, security, and wellbeing of our residents".

"The rating provided by the Care Inspectorate highlights areas where our service may have fallen short of the regulatory requirements," it said.

"We deeply regret any impact this may have on our stakeholders and assure you that we have taken immediate actions to improve and resolve these matters."

It said it had a comprehensive plan in place to turn things around "promptly and effectively".

Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership (DGHSCP) said it had been made aware of the situation and was working with Park Homes to tackle it.

"The welfare of the 27 residents of the Kirkcudbright care home is the paramount concern for the partnership, ensuring that their needs are being met with the appropriate care," it said in a statement.