Edinburgh care home rated 'unsatisfactory' for infection control and PPE during Covid-19 inspection

The care home was inspected by the Care Inspectorate twice in August
Claremont Park nursing home in EdinburghClaremont Park nursing home in Edinburgh
Claremont Park nursing home in Edinburgh

An Edinburgh care home has been labelled “unsatisfactory” by the Care Inspectorate in a damning report which says management have failed to adequately protect residents from infection.

Claremont Park, run by Claremont Park Ltd, is registered to care for 33 people but was found to not have responded to criticisms outlined in an official letter of “serious concern” from the Care Inspectorate in August.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The care home, one of 26 inspected in the final two weeks of August, was the only home to be rated “unsatisfactory” for infection prevention and control measures as part of the inspector’s requirement to examine how well a care home is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was also criticised for the cleanliness of the care home and a lack of social stimulation for residents in the home.

The report states: “There were serious concerns relating to the cleanliness of the furnishings and equipment used to support people living in the home.

"We also had concerns that staff were not fully complying with current guidance on infection prevention and control and did not fully understand safe practices with regards to PPE.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"There was a lack of social stimulation for people, leaving some people isolated for long periods at a time. A review of staffing should be undertaken to ensure that there are enough staff to meet the needs of people living in the service.”

The report adds that despite an official letter saying the home required improvement, there was only limited progress found nine days later during a follow-up inspection.

It states: “We made a further visit to the service on 17 August, to follow up on the improvements we had required. At that time, we found that there had been some progress made by the provider, but this was limited and did not fully address the serious concerns identified.

“We issued an improvement notice on 26 August as the service had failed to progress the issues in the letter of serious concern. The improvement notice details the required improvements in relation to the cleanliness of the environment and equipment, infection control practices the use of PPE and the management and leadership of the service, including assurance systems.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Scottish Conservative’ MSP for the Lothians, Miles Briggs, said the report was “deeply concerning” and added it was “vital” necessary improvements are made.

He said: “This is deeply concerning that full PPE and infection prevention is not being followed at this care home.

“Since the outbreak of Covid-19 the highest number of Covid-19 related deaths have been in care homes, where residents are more vulnerable to the virus than the rest of the population.

“It is vital the necessary improvements are made at Claremont Park nursing home immediately and staff are fully trained and following PPE and infection prevention guidance strictly.”

Claremont Park nursing home was contacted for comment.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Subscribe to the Edinburgh Evening News online and enjoy unlimited access to trusted, fact-checked news and sport from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Visit https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.