Fire-Hit Care Home Faced Probe Into Staff Training

A care home where 60 residents were left trapped following a blaze was at the centre of concerns over staffing and training. Douglas View nursing home, in Hamilton, was the subject of complaints to the Care Commission and a previous inspection called for urgent action after it was found only a quarter of staff had a relevant qualification.

This included the nursing staff at the home, while only 25 out of 87 staff had received fire training. It came to light following a major rescue operation saved 60 people trapped in the care home when fire broke out yesterday morning, as reported in last night’s Evening Times.

Complaints were made in 2005 and an inspection in November of that year, when the home was run by Highfield Home Properties Ltd, called for urgent action. The Care Commission, the care services regulator in Scotland, said at the time there was no development plan to address the need to increase the number of trained staff within the home. And just last year the commission remained concerned no review had been carried out regarding staffing levels to cover high risk areas.

A total of 89 residents were evacuated yesterday and the building was so badly smoke damaged they were all moved to other care homes in the surrounding area. Seven residents and one member of staff were taken to hospital.

Fifteen staff at the Douglas View Nursing Home managed to get 29 people out, but other residents – including some who were unconscious after breathing in smoke – were trapped in bedrooms and corridors.

A spokesman for Southern Cross Healthcare said five people remained in hospital today, but was hopeful they would be released. He said: “If they are able to be discharged today they will be taken to a home in East Kilbride. We hope to get access to the home today so we can get contractors in to see the situation and what damage has been done.”

The home is run by Southern Cross Healthcare, but although it is a privately-run facility, South Lanarkshire Council’s emergency team and social work staff were drafted in to help.

John Murphy, chief operating officer of Southern Cross Healthcare, said: “We are very grateful for the efforts and speed with which our staff, fire services and police responded. We are now doing everything we can to inform families of residents and comfort all residents. The home will be operational following fire and police investigations.”