Care homes faced closure over nutrition for residents

Published on Saturday 19 September 2009 11:09

THREE Lothians care homes were threatened with closure last year unless they improved the food for residents.

In a report published by the Care Commission it has emerged that the facilities in East and West Lothian, and Edinburgh, received the rare warning.

Broxburn Nursing Home, Tranent Care Home and St Raphael's Care Home in the Grange were all told to urgently address both the nutritional care and hydration of their elderly residents.

All homes have now complied with the warning and been allowed to continue operating. The publication of the offending facilities – three of ten across the entire country – came as part of the Commission's Eating Well in Care Homes for Older People report. It stated that most care homes were compliant with guidelines put in place to ensure the health and wellbeing of residents, but there were still some issues to be addressed.

Susan Brimelow, director of healthcare regulation, said she wanted the Scottish Government and NHS health boards to work with the commission to ensure even better standards of diets and food on offer in these homes.

She said: "People in care homes are among the most vulnerable in our community. They depend on the care home and its staff to provide balanced meals and ready access to as much water and other liquids as they need. There is plenty of room to improve."

Broxburn Nursing Home was issued with the enforcement notice in June last year. It ordered the home to develop proper nutrition procedures, monitor residents' weight and ensure better gaps were left between meals.

Diya Kulasuriya, the director of the independent facility, said: "We had a notice issued last year and it has now been lifted. We met a nutrition advisor and co-operated fully with the recommendations and these issues have now been addressed.

"We had monthly visits and they are now fully satisfied, too. I think it would have been helpful if the Care Commission had mentioned in the report that we have addressed this."

Tranent Care Home, which is run by Southern Cross Healthcare, was told to take another look at its nutrition in March last year. A spokeswoman said: "We constantly strive to deliver the best standard of care for all our residents, many of whom are quite independent.

And St Raphael's, whose owner Viewpoint Housing had previously been in hot water with the Commission for employing carers without disclosure forms, was told in November to provide training programmes for staff in relation to nutrition.

Jane Brown, Viewpoint's assistant chief executive, said: "Certainly in those dates we did have an enforcement notice but that has now been lifted.

"We have a good relationship with the Care Commission and we are working hard with them. There is no doubt improvement has been made and we still have work to do to make it even better."

• www.carecommission.com

• www.schealthcare.co.uk

• www.viewpoint.org.uk