Care Inspectorate notes "positive changes" at previously under-fire care home

A previously under-fire care home has been praised in a new report from the Care Inspectorate into the service it provides.

In September 2021, Ayrshire Live told how bosses at Belhaven House Care Home in Troon were told to make improvements to patient care after being widely criticised following an inspection. At the time the home was graded as ‘weak’ across nine quality indicators.

Almost three years on, the home has now made giant leaps to its care provision, being graded ‘very good’ across one quality indicator and ‘good’ across four others.

Belhaven House, on Craigend Road, is registered to provide a care home service to 32 older people, some of whom may have dementia and two named adults under the age of 65. Respite care can also be provided within the service. The service provider is Mansfield Care Limited.

At the time of the latest inspection there were 27 people living at the service. An extract from the Care Inspectorate report said they noted “warm and caring relationships” between residents and the staff team.

They said people had access to a “range of meaningful and social opportunities.” And a new manager had introduced “positive changes” to the care home, with people benefitting from being support from “skilled staff teams” who “worked well together.”

The report said: “We found significant strengths in aspects of the care provided and how these supported positive outcomes for people. We saw warm and compassionate care. Engagement between staff and the people they supported was friendly and kind. The choices and preferences of people living in the home were supported very well by staff who were familiar with individuals’ needs.”

According to the report, mealtimes were “well managed and sociable” and staff supported people to enjoy their meal “without any rushing.”

The report goes on: “The senior care staff were knowledgeable about who to call on for support and advice regarding people’s health needs. And external healthcare professionals were called promptly for advice and support when needed.”

Family members said they felt reassured that their relatives were receiving “good support” with health needs. And families told inspectors that they were kept “up to date” with any changes in their relative’s health.

Bedrooms were “nicely decorated” and “personalised” and families were encouraged to bring in items from home to create a space that people would be “familiar with.”

The report added: “There were good standards of cleanliness throughout the home. The housekeeping team were aware of their role and responsibilities to ensure that cleanliness of the home was maintained. There were effective systems in place to ensure that good standards of cleanliness were maintained. People we spoke with commented positively on the cleanliness of the home.”

Read next:

• Bargain retail giant linked with return to Ayr High Street as former Wilko site is 'targeted'

• Neighbours warned homes could explode after mystery petrol smell seeps into houses

• Massive £150m Ayrshire whisky facility approved despite concerns from locals

• Ayrshire's most popular baby names announced by stats experts

• Huge Craig Tara expansion approved despite hundreds of objections

Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter