A CARE home in Ayr which was labelled by inspectors as "at risk of cross infection" has not met some of its requirements, according to a new report.
Back in November, the Ayr Advertiser reported that an assessment by the Care Inspectorate, which carried out an unannounced inspection on October 25, discovered that the Heathfield House care home on Forbes Drive had a "weak" rating in all inspection categories.
The report found that inspectors had concerns regarding the management of residents' continence needs, the management of medication, as well as the approach to care by some staff.
Inspectors also found a risk of infection in the home.
And now a follow up inspection has found that some of these requirements are still not being met, and in some cases, residents at the care home had been locked in their rooms.
The Care Inspectorate's latest report on Heathfield, published on January 9, found that though staff had undergone training to make sure that continence needs and wound care for people living in the service are effectively managed and met, not all the records to evidence wound care for individuals were up to date.
The report also found that gaps in records to evidence the frequency of wound dressings and care plans were not reflective of the care being delivered, and that wound care plans were not being evaluated.
The Care Inspectorate were also unable to determine if wound care was effective for everyone.
The report also found that invidivial care plans were not being evaluated properly.
In other cases, it was found that some individuals were being locked in their rooms, which is against the principles of Health and Social Care Standards.
The report said: "We saw that corridor doors were open in all units. However, at one point during the inspection, staff closed corridor doors in one unit which limited the movement of people living there.
"Creating such barriers limits people's movement and could impact on their wellbeing.
"In three out of the four units, bedroom doors were unlocked and some residents had their own key for their bedroom.
"However, in one unit we found that some bedroom doors were locked. We spoke with staff who told us that they usually locked some of the bedroom doors. Care plans did not explain why bedroom doors were being locked.
"Locking bedroom doors does not afford people full freedom of movement and is viewed as restraint.
"If individuals' independence, control and choice are restricted, it should comply with relevant legislation.
"Any restrictions need to be justified, kept to a minimum and carried out sensitively."
