Greenock care home given 'adequate' Care Inspectorate rating

Belleaire House on Newark Street received an unannounced visit from the Care Inspectorate in November last year, with the findings from it now published.

The care service, which is part of the Meallmore Group, can accommodate up to 52 older people within its detached Victorian villa facility.

The inspection report says that all of the areas evaluated – wellbeing, leadership, staff team, setting and care and support – were rated as ‘adequate’, meaning the strengths just outweighed the weaknesses.

Inspectors added that they witnessed ‘warm interactions’ between people and workers at the home, but noted that recent staff changes had posed some problems.

During the inspection, relatives of residents were consulted and highlighted that there had been a ‘difficult period for several months’, but also said staff went ‘the extra mile’.

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The report states: 'The service had used agency staff, senior leaders and staff from other homes in the Meallmore group to manage vacancies and staff absence.

'This meant workforce pressures had a negative impact on people's experience of positive outcomes, which contributed to an increase in complaints and concerns about clinical care, including hydration.

'The service should ensure staff remain aware of the seriousness of poor hydration management on people's health and wellbeing.'

The inspection found that some quality assurance processes had not been maintained while an interim leadership team was in place, however the report acknowledged that those in charge were ‘transparent’ and ‘have worked hard to make some improvements’.

Training was identified as an area for improvement for the staff team, with a particular focus to be placed on falls management and adult protection.

The report said: 'The management team had a good oversight of staff training, however there were gaps in key areas.

'The service must ensure all staff complete mandatory and role specific training, particularly in Falls Reduction as fifty per cent of staff had not completed training.

Belleaire House (Image: Newsquest)

'This means people were not supported by staff with knowledge of current good practice to affect positive outcomes.'

In its evaluation of the care home’s setting, the Care Inspectorate highlighted issues with the recording of equipment cleaning and set a requirement for the home to ensure people are protected from the risk of infection.

A spokesperson for Belleaire House said: “Whilst the Care Inspectorate summary outcomes are disappointing, we are pleased that the work and achievements already made by the new team at Belleaire have been acknowledged throughout the report.

“It is reassuring that our core staff team’s positive presence in the service has been reflected.

“The hard work and commitment of colleagues during a challenging time of staff turnover has been humbling, and we would like to thank our committed relatives and stakeholders for their support during a time of change.

“The safety, comfort and wellbeing of our residents remains our absolute priority and we are confident in our current team to meet all improvement areas quickly to deliver the best outcomes for residents.”