Refurbishment plan for 'old and tired' Riverside House Care Home in Wick
A WICK care home requires major refurbishment, according to a report by the Care Inspectorate. It found the premises at the Riverside House Care Home in Bridge Street were "old and tired " and need of upgrading.
The unannounced inspection, carried out last month, rated people's wellbeing as good, care and support during the Covid-19 pandemic as adequate but leadership as poor.
However, manager, Donna Grant, yesterday stressed the issues highlighted are being addressed.
The home is registered to provide for 44 older people but had 39 residents at the time the inspection was undertaken. The facility is run by R F More Ltd and is a converted former hotel situated in the centre of Wick with easy access to transport links and local amenities. The accommodation is provided over four floors with rooms on split levels between storeys. There is a central stairway to all floors and a small passenger lift can also be used.
The report says: "Feedback about the service was very positive. Residents told us that they were very happy and felt that they were well looked after. They spoke highly about the care and attention they had from staff. Relatives spoke about good communication between them and the home and that they felt involved and included in the support of their relatives."
Staff interacted with residents in "a warm, caring, and compassionate manner" and activities were available every day including weekends while people's "nutritional needs were met well."
However, the report said opportunities for residents to "access a safe outdoor space and fresh air was very limited." The home does not have a garden although there is an area at the front of the building which had been developed to provide a small outdoor sitting area but it faces "a busy road and afforded no privacy for people. The service should continue to explore ways in which people can be supported to access safe outdoor space in the local community," said the report.
It also found leadership to be weak and said staff supervision and support was "infrequent and did not provide the leadership and direction needed to support staff performance and development."
The report described arrangements for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic as "adequate"and noted staff could access the building separately from the main entrance but said social distancing was not always observed. "It would be helpful if staff working on more than one floor was minimised to support containment of potential or actual outbreaks of infection."
It concluded: The premises are old, tired and in need of major refurbishment. We found that very little change had taken place to enhance the environment. Previous lockdowns have undoubtedly had an impact on progress in this
area, but much could have taken place over the last six months.
"We have made a requirement that the provider develop a plan to improve and upgrade the home to include renewal of fixtures and fittings, windows, doors and their frames, skirtings and floorings; and a timescale for when each phase of the refurbishment will be completed."
Miss Grant said: "We are addressing the issues raised in the report. We have a refurbishment plan for the next five years. It is an old building and needs to be continually improved. It has been difficult over the past two years with Covid lockdowns and restrictions. Our priority has been the well-being of our residents and the feedback was positive on that."