Care home residents in Selkirk left “sitting around without any interaction for long periods”

An unannounced inspection took place at Riverside Healthcare Centre in Bridge Street on June 27 with a follow-up the next day.

The centre is a care home for older people registered to support 45 residents who need either nursing or residential care.

The inspection was carried out by three inspectors from the Care Inspectorate.

The service was rated ‘weak’ for the key question of how well it supports people’s well-being, with the report stating: “Whilst some strengths could be identified, these were compromised by significant weaknesses.”

It adds: “There were some positive relationships between the staff and people they support. One relative told us ‘every single member of staff is lovely’.

“It was clear staff knew the people well and are aware of their needs, however, there were missed opportunities to fully promote dignity and respect in all interactions.

“While there were moments of nice practice these were undermined by times when people were overlooked. There were long periods of time where people were sitting around without any interaction, even when staff members were present.

“There were no residents’ or relatives’ meetings taking place. This means there are limited opportunities for people both who live in the home and their families/carers to contribute to changes and development of the service.

“People who spend time in their bedroom have limited opportunity for meaningful contact and activities. The activity worker does try to build one to ones for people in their rooms into her plan for the week, but these seem sporadic and inconsistent.”

The report found that medication oversight was in place but that “people did not always receive the right medication at the right time” and that no effective audits were carried out.

Leadership and the staff team at the centre were also rated as ‘weak’, with better communication between the manager and staff needed, the centre’s setting and the ‘how well care and support is planned’ category was deemed ‘adequate’.

The service, provided by Riverside Care Limited, has been required to introduce a series of improvements.

The care provider has been approached for comment.