Inspections reveal poor standards of care at older people’s care homes across Scotland

A recent freedom of information request has revealed that one in ten of Scotland's homes for older people are providing either ‘weak' or ‘unsatisfactory' care for residents.
 
The statistics from Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS, the recently unified independent scrutiny and improvement body for care services in Scotland) reveal that of 880 homes across Scotland, 67 were considered to provide a weak service, while a further 11 were ranked as unsatisfactory - the worst ranking possible.

The inspection findings from SCSWIS, which are revealed in the wake of the recent deaths of two residents of Elsie Inglis care home in Edinburgh, which prompted a police investigation and the home's closure, reveal that the most common area of failure for those care homes criticised is ‘quality of care and support'. This finding unfortunately does not come as much of a surprise, after numerous recent findings of poor care and treatment of residents in homes across the UK, including the regular horrific abuse of vulnerable residents in a care home in Bristol revealed in a recent Panorama television program.

Among the lowest-rated homes was Tranent Care Home, ranked ‘weak' in all four areas examined: quality of care, environment, staffing and leadership. The home, owned by the troubled Southern Cross company, has faced serious criticism in recent years over low staffing levels and poor food standards. In 2007, a 74-year-old resident of the home, weighing six stone, died after suffering dehydration and poor nutrition.

Another home ranked "weak" in all four areas was the Glebe House home in Ayrshire. In total, 102 homes in Scotland were rated either "weak" or "unsatisfactory" in at least one category. At the other end of the scale, only five per cent (44 out of 880 homes) were described as ‘excellent', the highest ranking, with the majority rated either ‘good' or ‘very good'.

A spokesman from Scottish charity Age Scotland said: "The argument will be that nine out of ten care homes are providing a ‘good' or better service, but that is simply not good enough, especially for the residents in one of the ten per cent of homes that are not up to scratch.

"We have a growing generation of adults moving into later life who are extremely sceptical of the manner in which care is delivered to their parents and have serious concerns about the impact the choices we make for the future will have on them. It's time to get serious and provide proper reassurance for them and for all of those currently in care."  

Indeed, efforts must be made by service providers in the Scottish care sector, and across the UK, to reassure Service Users and their families that the utmost is being done to respect their basic human rights, dignity and privacy in striving to provide the highest quality of care and support possible.