Two residents have died at a care home on the Isle of Skye where 56 people have tested positive for coronavirus.
On November 6th 2019, the Care Inspectorate made a requirement for improvement in the adherence to cleaning protocols to ensure people were not at risk.
The requirement was to be met by 31st December 2019 but due to inadequate housekeeping staffing it was not and the timescale was then extended to 31 March 2020.
The full inspection report for January 24th 2020 can be downloaded here: https://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/care-services?detail=CS2011300714
There is no mention of this inspection in the BBC coverage.
Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel 
Isn’t it strange the way the BBC has embraced the word ‘independent’. Only for care homes of course not countries…yet
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Meanwhile in NHS England, confusion. Somebody making policy on the hoof it seems.
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/clinical/clinical-specialties/elderly-care/gps-could-face-regulation-to-ensure-all-care-homes-receive-weekly-ward-round/20040752.article
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So GPs become inspectors for private businesses. They’d like that.
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BBC News online just now – Scotland page reports deaths in Skye care home.
On checking the ‘UK news’ page, the ‘England news’ page, the top level ‘Coronavirus’ page and the top level ‘Health’ page, one could come to the conclusion there have been no further deaths in care homes in England – indeed no further deaths anywhere in England – due to Covid-19.
Is that very good news or is it only in Scotland that Covid-19 fatalities remain newsworthy?
The Skye report is important and this incident – and the management of the crisis in care homes more generally – does need closer investigation. But on the absence of reporting on the situation in England – another form of BBC shielding?
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John,
Now that you’ve brought this failed inspection to light I expect this will lead the news tomorrow on BBC Scotland all day with Robertson and Williams doing big bits on it
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Along with the story that pigs have been seen flying over the QEUH.
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More info on the Skye care home, from the public – more positive.
https://www.carehome.co.uk/carehome.cfm/searchazref/20006030HOMA
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“Drew Duffy, senior GMB organiser for public services, told BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime with John Beattie: “The numbers involved in the Isle of Skye is just a tragedy, so we do need to immediately look at what was put in place for residents and staff, but clearly this has just highlighted years of underfunding within social care.
“The private sector care homes having been running on minuscule budgets, cutting corners and the crisis has just highlighted the disease that has been austerity for years – they just cannot cope.”
This is from the BBC Scotland website article on the Skye care home. I did not hear the Drivetime interview, so, I do not know if anything has been omitted.
Who is the target of the second paragraph? The owner? The UK Government? The local Health Board? The local council? The Scottish Government?
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Yes, the SG even though the company paid £45m in dividends last year
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This is taken from comments I got on Sunday from a friend who works in a care home in the west of Scotland. I can’t say where (but it’s not Skye). She is the cook but is expected to do a lot more than prepare meals. She trains staff, keeps the accounts, arranges staff rotas. During their last inspection, she was put in the position of covering up for staff absences/shortages and management failures. Her husband and son work in a food processing factory which is constantly under threat of closure and she is always aware of the need to keep her job. It is, of course, very badly paid. Like most people employed in the care sector, she is much more dedicated to caring for the residents than anyone has the right to demand.
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Sorry for the delay in posting this but it’s still relevant, re care homes.
On 30th April Deborah Clarke from Unison was interviewed by Laura Maxwell on BBC Radio Scotland (around 7.35am) and said care home staff were getting enough PPE but wanted more testing carried out.
She praised the guidelines from Health Protection Scotland but called for training for staff.
From her questioning, I got the impression that Laura Maxwell wanted her to mention the Scottish Government’s responsibility.
I paraphrase – LM asked: Where does responsibility lie for the safety of care home staff? DC replied that private care home owners need to work with unions, and criticised their lack of planning and preparedness.
LM asked: Who is responsible for planning? Again DC didn’t mention the SG.
The final question was: Should residents be moved into hospitals? [In other words, shouldn’t the SG be doing that?] DC agreed with what the Acting Chief Medical Officer had said the day before, i.e. that some residents would be worse off in hospital.
I might have missed it but I didn’t hear any of that repeated in subsequent broadcasts.
Any idea which union has the larger membership in care homes? Unison or the GMB? We already know which is the BBC’s favourite to go to!
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