Galashiels care home's disappointment after "weak" report

Bosses at a Galashiels care home say they are working hard to address issues highlighted by a recent unannounced Care Inspectorate inspection, which rated all categories inspected as “weak”.
Galashiels Nursing Home.Galashiels Nursing Home.
Galashiels Nursing Home.

The inspection at Galashiels Nursing Home in Kirkbrae took place on August 19.

Officers spoke to patients and their families, and although they said the staff were “nice” and “attentive”, it was found that several patients spent all day in their beds with little or no interaction with staff outwith care tasks.

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The report also stated: “People having meals in their rooms were served their meal without any tray or table which resulted in them having to hold their plate with one hand and using the other to hold cutlery and eat. This was despite bedside tables being available.”

The home was also criticised for cleanliness.

The report stated: “The home was not cleaned to an acceptable standard.

"There was food debris under tables and chairs and on the dining room floor.

"Some mattresses and bedding were stained, and bedding was of poor quality.

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"Not all bathrooms in use had soap in them, which is an essential part of handwashing.”

Also, linen had not been washed at the correct temperatures.

Inspectors also found that medication records were “not always appropriately completed and there was a lack of overview of 'as required' medication”.

A spokesperson for the care home told the Southern: “The management and staff are extremely disappointed with our last CI Inspection.

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"Over the last 18 months the staff have worked above and beyond in keeping Covid out of our home with no positive cases registered amongst our residents.

"We have addressed a lot of the points already and are working very closely with the council, NHS Borders and CI to address the rest .

"We are extremely confident we will be able to do this in a timely manner and will then look to be re-assessed and get our grades back up to where they should be.”