A care home in Bearsden says it is taking feedback “seriously” after concerns were raised about the personal care provided to residents, including a lack of showering.

An unannounced inspection of Buchanan House Care Home took place on August 29, 30 and 31 and was carried out by two inspectors, with a third inspector joining the inspection on the final day.

Based on a six-point scale where 1 is unsatisfactory and 6 is excellent, the home was rated as 2, meaning weak, in the two categories assessed – ‘How well do we support people’s wellbeing’ and ‘How good is our staff team?’.

Among the key messages in the report published this month, staff were observed to be kind and attentive during support provided.

Inspectors, however, said that all residents should be offered to participate in a social activity of their preference on a daily basis.

It also found that people are supported and referred to external health professionals, but that the provider should evidence there is enough staff to attend to people's needs in accordance with their wishes and routines.

The report also called for induction and recruitment processes for new staff to improve.

In the detailed assessment of how well the home supports people’s wellbeing, it stated that approximately half of family members/representative spoken with raised concerns about a lack of personal care being provided to their relative.

The concerns raised were poor nail care, lack of showering, lack of hygiene, lack of assistance with continence or being supported to go to the bathroom, family members wearing unclean clothes or clothes belonging to others.

The report said this compromised people's dignity and there was a lack of evidence recorded in personal care records to demonstrate that people received regular showering or bathing in accordance with their preferences.

Some staff members told inspectors showering or bathing could only take place in the afternoons or evenings - this further reduced choice for people.

Three family members, meanwhile, said that at times there were only male staff available to support intimate personal care for their relative when this was not their preference.

It was also found that on more than one occasion, people did not get their prescribed medication and stock counts were not always accurate, meaning that medication could possibly run out.

At the time of the inspection, there were 48 people living in the home on Grampian Way.

In making their evaluations, inspectors spoke with eight people using the service and three visiting relatives.

They also considered returned questionnaires from sixteen relatives/representatives, spoke with fifteen staff members including management, observed practice and daily life, reviewed documents and spoke with two external health professionals.

A spokesperson for the home said: “We take all feedback from the Care Inspectorate seriously.

“We are pleased the report highlights that our staff treat our residents with kindness and respect and that relatives agreed.

“Following the inspection in August, we put in place a robust plan to address the areas that required attention, working alongside the Care Inspectorate and East Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership.

“Action undertaken to-date includes the recruitment of several new members of staff, including an activities coordinator, and staff have undertaken refresher training on record-keeping.

“Our absolute priority is to ensure residents are happy, healthy and safe and we look forward to demonstrating improvements at the home when it is next inspected in October.”

The report also stated that no complaints have been upheld since the last inspection.