Hawick care home in line for £1m council handout

Hopes are rising that a failing Hawick care home can turn its fortunes around now council bosses have pledged to invest more than £1m in improving it.
Councillor Stuart Marshall at Deanfield Care Home in Hawick.Councillor Stuart Marshall at Deanfield Care Home in Hawick.
Councillor Stuart Marshall at Deanfield Care Home in Hawick.

Scottish Borders Council’s arm’s-length care company, SB Cares, called in healthcare watchdogs last month after it was revealed that services at Deanfield Care Home at Roadhead had fallen below an acceptable standard.

That has prompted the council to promise that in excess of £1m will be invested to provide additional support.

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Councillors will be asked to approve that investment at a full council meeting on Thursday, September 26.

The authority’s chief executive, Tracey Logan, said the council is committed to bringing the home up to scratch, both by raising staff standards and by making improvements to the building itself.

She said: “We are absolutely committed to putting the necessary steps in place to make sure Deanfield delivers the level of care that we expect across all our establishments.

“We are actively working on an improvement plan and have already made very good progress. We have put in place additional support at the highest level, using our most experienced and skilled staff.

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“We are also bringing forward proposals to the full council meeting in September to ask members to approve capital investment to make improvements to the building.

“This will improve the environment and facilities available to help contribute towards improving the wellbeing of our residents.

“We have contacted and invited the Care Inspectorate in to work with us to ensure that all appropriate actions take place as soon as possible.

“They have given us their full support with our proposals, and we will welcome a visit from them in due course to update them with our progress.”

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A meeting has also been held with families and service users to advise them of the plans.

Hawick and Denholm councillor Stuart Marshall welcomed the extra investment, saying: “I’m absolutely delighted that there is to be a huge cash injection into Deanfield Care Home.

“If approved, it will go a long way to bringing Deanfield back to a very high and acceptable standard.

“I am also grateful that the chief executive of the council personally visited this wonderful facility recently, and I have it on good authority that it was from such a visit that this huge investment was instigated, and for that I’m very grateful. The future of Deanfield is very bright indeed.”

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Hawick and Hermitage councillor Watson McAteer added: “I’m sure that Deanfield has a long-term future.

“This commitment to investment in infrastructure and high-quality care is a really positive move.”

The home provides care for a maximum of 35 older people, with two places allocated for respite care.

The involvement of the Care Inspectorate at Deanfield Care Home is not the first time healthcare watchdogs have been called in.

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SB Cares was ordered to make improvements to staff training back in May 2017.

However, a year later, care home inspectors once again had to demand that staff training be improved, despite initially asking for it to be completed within six weeks.