MSP John Pentland slams “deeply worrying” Wishaw care home

A WISHAW care home has been blasted by watchdogs for a catalogue of failures – including giving scrapped UK medicine to a patient who didn’t even need it.

The privately-owned Ravens Court Care Centre in Bridge Street was said to be providing at least one resident with a medicine withdrawn from nationwide use, even when the person was no longer prescribed the drug.

Staff at the centre – owned by Southern Cross Healthcare – also failed to provide essential medicines because patients had fallen asleep and kept creams and ointments prescribed for short-term conditions for “months or years”.

Motherwell & Wishaw MSP John Pentland said the report on the home – situated across from Wishaw General – was “deeply worrying”.

The shocking failures were brought to light in an inspection report carried out by The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland organisation (SCSWIS), who slammed the quality of patient care and support as “weak” – the second lowest of six quality assessment grades.

As well as the organisation’s own first-hand observations, visitors also complained to the inspectorate about the cleanliness of the home and the “constantly unpleasant odour” that people lived in.

Residents themselves complained about a lack of activities on offer during the day, the food being poor and mix-ups in laundry. Others complained that they felt staff were often very rushed, so to avoid adding to their work they would not ask for things.

The annual report – part of a nationwide inspection which found 102 of the country’s 880 centres (12 per cent) falling below an acceptable standard – also criticised the centre for inconsistencies in medicine prescription records and stock and the administering of medicines, mainly in communal areas rather than the privacy of each resident’s room.

Ravens Court – which specialises in looking after people suffering from forms of dementia – was rated as “weak” for its quality of care and support. The three other assessed factors – quality of environment, staffing and management and leadership – were all rated as “adequate”.

Mr Pentland said: “Scotland’s older people deserve nothing but the very highest standards of care, so these are deeply worrying figures. They show our older people are living in care homes where there have been failings in standards of care – including Ravens Court.

“In order to ensure the highest possible levels of care it is vitally important the inspection regime is not only robust but properly resourced. Given the failings in care it is difficult to see how the care inspectorate will be able to properly do its job if the SNP government slashes its budget by almost a quarter.

“I am very concerned that SNP members have used their majority on the Scottish Parliament’s health committee to block a debate on the crisis in care with the care inspectorate at the committee. I believe this is an abuse of power.”

Tracy McDonald, the area manager for Southern Cross Healthcare, said: “The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland, visited Ravens Court Care Centre in January 2011, assessing the home against a total of 12 criteria, or statements. Of these 12 statements, 11 were graded as adequate. One statement was assessed as weak and none were considered to be unsatisfactory or failing.

“The health and wellbeing of our residents is our number one priority. We work hard to improve and sustain care delivery at the home and work in partnership with the local authorities, residents and SCSWIS to ensure the quality of care at Ravens Court Care Centre is in line with expectations.”