Detectives probe death of second care home OAP

Elsie Inglis Nursing Home is facing an inquiry

The 87-year-old man passed away last week after being moved to a private home in Corstorphine when residents were evacuated from the crisis-hit Abbeyhill facility.

It followed the death of 59-year-old Lynn Beveridge two weeks ago, which sparked the initial police and council investigation into the home, which was closed last week.

Several other former residents have also been admitted to hospital.

This latest death will now form part of the wider investigation into the facility, which was run by Peacock Medicare, owned by doctors Nawal and Susheela Bagaria.

Reports on both cases have now been sent to the procurator fiscal, with the council, NHS Lothian and the organisation responsible for care homes - Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) - being kept informed of developments.

A police spokeswoman said today: "There is an ongoing investigation in relation to the death and it would be inappropriate to comment further."

The Elsie Inglis home only last year received a glowing report from inspectors. However, SCSWIS returned in April and deemed every section of the home "unsatisfactory", the lowest possible grade and one of the worst ever in Scotland.

The Evening News told last week how the report slammed the 70-bed home, which catered for both the elderly and people with learning disabilities, revealing that residents were kept in "terrible" conditions and saying patients' teeth had not been brushed, they had to sleep on stained and ripped mattresses and were even left to eat mashed potato with their fingers.

The home's manager quit in the wake of the report.

Although action has now been taken, there are concerns about how a care home could plummet from being highly rated to being the worst in the country.

The issue has also been raised in the Scottish Parliament following the death of Down's syndrome sufferer Ms Beveridge.

Lindsay Scott, communications and campaign manager for Age Scotland, said: "The whole thing is very sad.

"It is well documented that moving older and vulnerable people who have become familiar with a particular environment can be traumatic.

"We are not saying this case is a result of that (moving to the new home] but as it has happened in close proximity, it is natural to wonder if it is related to that.

"We hope that more people in other homes do not have to be moved."

A spokesman for the Elsie Inglis Nursing Home said: "We are deeply saddened at the loss of this former resident of the home and our condolences and sympathies go to his relatives. When he left on May 16 he said he did not wish to leave the home and was fit and well."