New care report finds residents unwashed and underweight at Wallyford facility

VULNERABLE residents were left underweight and unwashed in an East Lothian care home, a shock report reveals.
Drummohr nursing home, WallyfordDrummohr nursing home, Wallyford
Drummohr nursing home, Wallyford

The Evening News told last month how owners of Drummohr Nursing Home in Wallyford had been told to improve after inspectors uncovered serious concerns.

Now it has emerged the home’s care, environment, staffing and leadership were all rated “weak” as the full findings are published for the first time.

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On an unannounced visit at the end of May, inspectors found 19 of the 58 residents lost weight in March – five significantly.

“We observed instances where residents did not take their meal and nothing else was offered,” reads the inspectors’ report, noting staff failed to follow advice from a dietician.

“Teas were often left cold and untouched and one resident walked around taking others’ meals and drinks.”

Inspectors looked at the personal hygiene care records of 15 residents for April and found some had received “minimal showering and bathing” with no records for up to two weeks.

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“There were no records of hair washing for at least six individuals and no nail care for seven,” continued the damning report.

Duty rotas were also pored over and confirmed that “staffing fell short on many occasions” while training was also found to be wanting.

“We have assessed that the lack of staff working in the service has a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of both residents and staff,” concluded the report.

It continued: “Cleaning was needed in the general environment, equipment and personal care items, such as mattresses and seating,” read the inspectors’ report.

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“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,” said a spokesman for the Care Inspectorate.

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

A spokesman for Darlington-based owner HC-One, said “The health and wellbeing of our residents is our highest priority and we take all feedback from the Care Inspectorate extremely seriously.”

The report also praised staff for being “kind and caring” while a new home manager will be working to improve standards with a new inspection report 
imminent.

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“We are confident the home is in a better place than it was at the time of the 
original inspection,” added the spokesman.

“We will continue working hard each and every day so that we are consistently providing the standard of care that residents deserve.”