The Care Inspectorate has taken legal action over the running of a private care home on Skye where seven residents have died in a coronavirus outbreak.
The inspectorate has asked the Sheriff Court to cancel the registration of the HC-One-owned Home Farm 40-bed nursing home facility in Portree.
It follows an unannounced inspection of the home on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: “An inspection has identified serious and significant concerns about the quality of care experienced by residents at Home Farm Care Home in Skye.
“We understand this is a difficult and distressing time for residents, their loved ones and staff at the home.
“However, our first priority is always the health and wellbeing of residents.
“We have submitted an application to the sheriff court seeking cancellation of the care home’s registration.
“This could mean new care arrangements will be put in place for residents at Home Farm care home.
“We are working closely with partners including NHS Highland to ensure that residents experience appropriate care during this difficult time.”
In addition to the seven deaths, 30 of the nursing home’s 34 residents and 29 staff have tested positive for Covid-19.
A spokesman for HC- One, who operate 56 homes in Scotland, told the BBC: “We have accepted the shortcomings at Home Farm and apologise to our residents, their families, and the local community. We are fully committed to making significant improvements at the home and determined to put things right.”
On HC-One’s website – their slogan is ‘the kind care company’ – Home Farm is described:
‘The home’s caring team has created a family atmosphere, encouraging everyone to eat and celebrate special occasions together. Residents are invited to decorate their rooms with small items of their own furniture and treasured belongings so that it feels just like home. Daily life is carefully designed to support mind, body and soul.
‘Home Farm’s Home Manager makes sure that all Residents receive the kindest possible care. Our extensively trained team will deliver all the nursing and specialist care and support services that your loved one requires.
‘Personalised care plans consider not only medical, personal and dietary needs, but also the individual’s likes and dislikes, religious preferences, and suggestions from family members that might make their stay with us that little bit more enjoyable’.
On 29 April, HC-One wrote to local authorities seeking additional funds:
As we have done throughout the coronavirus crisis, we firmly believe we have a responsibility to our Residents, our Colleagues and to the wider public to highlight the challenges facing care homes at this unprecedented time.
This is why we have published online each day the total number of coronavirus cases and deaths experienced at our homes, and why we are also publishing in full the letter we have sent to the Local Authorities we work with regarding our request for financial support.
The Government has previously announced £3.2bn of additional funding for Local Authorities in response to the additional costs placed on them and their partners, which include all social care providers, by the coronavirus outbreak. We welcomed this announcement and the priority now is that this money reaches the front line.
As set out in our letter, HC-One has been significantly impacted by coronavirus including most importantly and most sadly the loss of more than 700 Residents and three Colleagues from this terrible virus. Alongside this, admissions have understandably fallen, and costs have significantly increased as we invest in the PPE needed to keep our Residents and Colleagues safe.
As a responsible provider, we entered this year and this crisis in a very strong financial position. In response to the financial impact of coronavirus we have taken a range of measures, including engaging with our lenders and our owners, to make sure we have the balance sheet resilience needed to see us through this challenging time.
These are prudent and responsible steps to take, as is looking at our income in the short term and engaging with the organisations that pay for the Residents living in our homes.
The Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, which represents Local Authorities and Social Care Commissioners respectively, have highlighted that care providers experienced a predicted 10% increase in costs linked to their coronavirus response.
Our letter therefore seeks to start a conversation with our Local Authority partners on how we can access some of the additional funding provided by Government to cover these additional costs.
We clearly set out the impact of the virus on our organisation, the statistical modelling we’ve completed that shows the predicted future impact of this deadly virus, the proactive steps we have taken to build financial resilience, and our request to discuss an income guarantee to assist us in the short term.
This request aligns with the Government’s COVID-19 Social Care Action Plan, which states Local Authorities must “protect providers’ cashflow”, and reflects the offers we’ve already received from some of our Local Authority partners who recognise the vital role our homes play in communities across the UK.
We are fortunate to be in a financially stable position, and to have the support of owners who are invested in the organisation and its mission for the long-term. We are therefore confident we can ‘weather the storm’ caused by coronavirus. Nevertheless, the responsible and prudent action was to engage with our funders, commissioners and lenders to make sure we build the most resilient financial position possible to achieve this.
As we move forward during this public health emergency, HC-One will continue to focus solely on protecting the health and wellbeing of our Residents and Colleagues.
This includes providing the PPE, training and wellbeing support our teams need, but also engaging transparently in conversations with our funding partners about the additional financial support required to support our organisation.
Since the Care Inspectorate’s intervention it has been announced than an eighth resident has died.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman and Scottish Care CEO Donald Macaskill have wriiten a joint letter to all care home staff in Scotland this morning.
JF_and_DM_-_CARE_HOME_STAFF_letter_-_May_2020
An inspection report will be published in due course.
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