East Lothian care home staff 'missed opportunities' to treat residents in pain

Staff at a care home “missed opportunities” to treat residents in pain due to a lack of records and training, a care inspectors report has revealed.

Some staff at Tyneholm Stables Care Home, in Pencaitland, East Lothian, were described as “impersonal” and “abrupt” by inspectors.

And they graded the home’s ability to support their residents well-being as “weak” after saying their skin integrity was at risk because of a lack of pressure relieving mattresses and training.

The report said staff needed “additional training in skin integrity, nutrition and supporting people with stress and distressed behaviours”.

It said: “Where people had developed pressure sores, the staff did not assess, document and monitor progress competently and did not always seek external professional support and advice when necessary.

“People’s health and well-being were compromised because the service was not proactive with effective communication and documentation about changes or deterioration in their condition.”

Inspectors said pain assessment charts were not used, meaning residents who could not verbalise pain were unable to communicate.

Medication used to deal with stress and distressed behaviour was not properly records.

And it said: “When there were concerns about a person’s food and drink intake this was not being actioned. ”

The inspectors said: “Some staff interacted warmly and respectfully with people and knew their history, routines and preferences,we observed other staff were impersonal and abrupt with people.

“When assisting people to move about, some staff interacted in a safe and supportive way, other staff did not.”

A spokesperson for Sanctuary Care which operates the home said the report had been “disappointing”.

They said: “While we were disappointed with the outcome of last month’s inspection, we are confident the issues raised by the Care Inspectorate are already being addressed at the home.

“We can reassure our residents and their families that we remain committed to delivering the highest possible standards of care in all our homes – care that enriches the lives of every single resident and focuses on their well-being and happiness.”

The home received grades of “adequate” for its leadership, setting staff team and support plans.

However, under the category of “how well do we support people’s well-being” they gave a “weak” grading saying: “Whilst we identified some strengths, these were compromised by significant weaknesses with the care provided and how this affected outcomes for people.”

Four requirements were given to the home ranging from improving records to staff training to improving records on residents food intake and likes and dislikes.