Staff at Forfar care home labelled ‘weak’ by inspectors

Inspectors have found a Forfar care home for the elderly has “weak” staffing and management.

They have ordered the 39-bed Benholm nursing home, on Glamis Road, to make improvements. Among the issues they identified was the absence of a dedicated manager for the service, although recruitment was under way at the time of their visit.

Not all eligible staff were registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), and management were unfamiliar with conditions that had been placed on the registrations of some employees. The Care Inspectorate team also found that not all staff were up to date with their mandatory training.

Their report said: “Staff were anxious about the future of the service and felt that communication could be enhanced to keep them up to date with future plans.”

Despite these issues, the home was given a “good” rating for the quality of its care and residents questioned by the inspectors said they were happy with the service they received.

The home itself was said to provide an “adequate” environment.

“The service is committed to providing a good quality service but the absence of a permanent manager is hindering the process,” the inspectors said.

“Securing a manager for the home will help drive forward improvement and improve communication about plans for the service with service users, visitors and staff.”

Benholm is owned by Four Seasons Health Care, which runs more than 500 care homes and other facilities across the UK.

A spokesperson said: “We are pleased that the Care Inspectorate acknowledged that residents at Benholm care home receive good quality care and have positive relationships with staff.

“Unfortunately, one aspect of staffing and management fell short of the standards we expect to deliver. This relates to a delay in registration with the SSSC with one member of staff rather than the care being delivered to residents.

“This is currently in progress and is taking time. We will update the Care Inspectorate once it’s been finalised,” the spokesperson added.

“Our priority is to ensure the wellbeing and appropriate care of our residents and we will continue to provide a high level of service.”