Covid in Scotland: Licence suspended at Midlothian nursing home

A Midlothian nursing home will have its registration suspended after 15 of its residents died with Covid.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard that "virtually half" of residents of Thornlea Nursing Home in Loanhead had succumbed to the virus.

The Care Inspectorate initially submitted an application to cancel its registration but a sheriff granted an interim suspension from 18 January.

It will allow time to find alternative homes for the remaining residents.

David Logan, counsel for Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland, said it was "a very serious situation".

Mr Logan told Sheriff Douglas Keir: "The reason 18 January is appropriate is at the present time there are still 14 residents in the home."

"Those residents are in the process of being moved by Midlothian health partnership but that is quite a complicated business."

He said it was complicated because of Covid and because some were suffering from dementia.

Mr Logan told the court: "I am not here to attribute blame."

He said it was appreciated the home had faced a lot of difficulties.

He said that postponing the suspension would allow Thornlea to continue to provide a home for the remaining residents until they were moved elsewhere.

William Frain-Bell, counsel for Thornlea Nursing Home Ltd, said it agreed with what was being proposed.

He said it was working with the care organisation and health partnership and hoped there would be an opportunity in the near future to address the court and to seek to have the interim order recalled.

The Care Inspectorate said earlier this month that an inspection had identified "serious and significant concerns" about the quality of care experienced by residents at the home.

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: "The suspension of the provider's registration will allow for transition to alternative care arrangements for residents.

"We continue to monitor the service closely.

"An inspection report will be published in due course."