Highlands & Islands MSP Rhoda Grant, who has been calling for answers on the reasons Home Farm Care Home was hit so badly by Covid-19, is pleased by the announcement that The Care Inspectorate has taken steps to cancel the registration of the Portree facility, where seven residents have died.
The care industry watchdog said the enforcement action was promoted by “serious and significant concerns” about how the home was being operated.
The move could see the operator HC-One, which owns more than 300 care homes across the UK, not legally allowed to operate the care service.
Rhoda said: “I am glad the Care Inspectorate is taking action but they should have acted sooner given they were aware that there were issues. Inspectors who dropped by at Home Farm unannounced across two days late in January found staffing levels were not being matched to care needs, with numbers of staff fluctuating and scant at the weekends. They concluded the level and quality of care and support people received was “not always adequate”. It’s easy to see why Covid-19 might have spread so quickly, especially when there were concerns about infection control. It would not appear staffing levels were anywhere near adequate back in January at least to respond to this crisis.”
She added: “In every contact I have had with families and the community it has been impressed upon me that the staff are wonderful. It is such a shame that they have had to work so hard and have themselves been left in a dangerous situation.
“The needs of residents must be paramount. NHS Highland must look to take over the management of Home Farm in the interim.”
Ends.
Note to editors
Scottish Labour press release below.
NEWS FROM SCOTTISH LABOUR
IMMEDIATE
CARE INSPECTORATE CALLS FOR CRISIS-HIT CARE HOME TO BE STRIPPED OF REGISTRATION
This afternoon, the Care Inspectorate has submitted an application to the sheriff court to cancel the registration of Home Farm care home on Skye, where seven residents have died, over serious and significant concerns.
Commenting , Scottish Labour Health and Social Care spokesperson Monica Lennon said:
“The Covid-19 outbreak at Home Farm care home has caused the deaths of seven people and remains a threat to the lives of dozens of residents and staff.
“It is right and proper for the Care Inspectorate to intervene and take action, however, the public are right to ask what took so long and has enough been done to monitor and support care homes across Scotland, which now find themselves at the epicentre of this crisis.
“Despite years of planning for a pandemic, the Scottish Government has been too slow in responding to pleas from care home workers and families on testing and PPE. This must be a turning point and the First Minister and the Health Secretary must ensure that every possible action is taken to save lives within care homes.”
ENDS
Sent by email from the Scottish Labour Party, promoted by Michael Sharpe, Scottish General Secretary, on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party, both at 290 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4RE.
Website: https://www.scottishlabour.org.uk.
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