WORKERS at a care home which is under investigation over fears that residents are at risk of harm have described "shocking" levels of staff turnover and training.
Newton House Care Home in Newton Mearns, which charges upwards of £1,049 a week, is currently at the centre of a large-scale investigation (LSI) led by East Renfrewshire health and social care partnership (HSCP) after inspectors graded its leadership as "weak" and warned that a string of improvements were needed.
Regulators previously threatened to strip the facility of its registration in January 2022 after it racked up five section 62 notices in the space of 16 months, indicating serious breaches that were leading to "poor outcomes" for residents.
The latest inspection, carried out over four days in March, warned of a "lack of visible and effective leadership" along with a "significant" turnover of staff, "low" workforce morale, and a "declining pool of experienced workers".
READ MORE: Investigation into East Renfrewshire care home after inspectors warn over 'weak' leadership
It also flagged dangers to physical and mental wellbeing from a "prolonged lack of activity" for residents, and notifiable events - safety incidents or accidents such as falls - not being always being reported to the relevant agencies in time.
Concerns are also understood to have been raised by HSCP staff.
An LSI is triggered when authorities fear that "one or more residents at risk of harm".
One worker, speaking to the Herald on condition of anonymity, said the premises had gone through four managers in the past 18 months, including three this year alone.
One interim manager, in place at the time of inspection in March, was replaced by a new interim manager who is also responsible for running Milngavie Manor care home.
A permanent replacement is expected to start in July.
The worker said: "I don't understand how the Care Inspectorate have allowed this to carry on since the home opened.
"It's a vicious circle of get a bad report, do enough to stop any proper action by authorities, then sit and relax and let it all collapse again.
"The menus are the same every week. It's a running joke in the home that Thursday is baked potato day.
"Activities are limited. Most residents sit around looking at the wall.
"If they do get out, they only walk about two or three steps [before they're] moved back in."
READ MORE: Social care 'cannot wait for a National Care Service'
The home, which opened in 2019, is owned and operated by London-based Hamberley Care 1 Ltd.
Staff say the provider is increasingly reliant on importing overseas staff to fill vacancies, with more than 30 workers from Africa understood to have been sponsored by Hamberley so that they can take up posts in Newton House.
Around 20 are currently living in the home, which has around 60 residents but can accommodate up to 113.
The worker added: "I feel sorry for them as they haven't been trained properly and are just told to get on with it."
A second employee, who also asked not to be identified, said police had been called to the home on several occasions over the past year, including one instance where a manager was cautioned.
Police Scotland said it was unable to confirm this without further details.
A spokesman for Hamberley said it was not aware of any manager having received a police caution.
READ MORE: What next for Scotland's national care service reform?
The employee said the home was now down to just four permanent nurses after one quit in May, along with two carers and a kitchen porter.
They said: "Our UK staff are leaving in their droves because it's so shocking to work here.
"Our care staff will basically all be from Africa because we're running so thin on the ground.
"We've constantly got agency nurses coming in - different people coming and going.
"The residents aren't getting proper care because they're not getting anyone to know them.
"The staff are pushed to their limit, chasing their tails, and the residents are getting left on their own all the time.
"People fall and it doesn't get reported. There was even an incident recently where someone got taken to hospital and it wasn't reported to management."
A spokesman for East Renfrewshire Council confirmed that the LSI is "current and ongoing".
Earlier this week the Care Inspectorate confirmed that it had recently conducted a follow-up inspection at Newton House "and will publish our findings in due course". A spokesman said it could make no further comment at this time.
A spokesman for Hamberley said: "We are continuing to cooperate fully with our partners at the East Renfrewshire HSCP.
"The dedicated team at the home are implementing a robust action plan, under the guidance of East Renfrewshire and the Care Inspectorate, and we look forward to demonstrating the improvements we have made in the weeks and months ahead.
"We would once again like to thank our residents and their families for their patience and support during this time."
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