Why has Huntly's The Meadows care home closed? Critics say staff "bullied" out, "complete greed" and a "power struggle"
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IN the wake of its closure, we are sharing two stories of how alleged budget cuts caused turmoil at the heart of the Meadows in Huntly.
Leigh-Anne Adams said her 76-year-old mother is now “locked-up” in an “inappropriate” facility in Aberdeen, after the announcement of the home’s September 6 closure prompted a short-notice search for an alternative home.
She felt “so guilty” after noticing that the standard of care provided to her mother Carole Adams, who has vascular dementia and cannot walk, had declined.
And her guilt worsened after learning of several critical Care Inspectorate reports.
Despite the home’s “very lovely” staff having done their best, she said, funding cuts left her thinking: "I don't know what more the staff on the ground could have done.”
Unison area manager Susan Kennedy said union members working at the home had been “bullied” out of their jobs by the home’s operator, controlled by national firm Belsize Healthcare since an August 2020 takeover.
She also said there had been “no investment” in the “really understaffed” home and, by cutting costs and maximising profits, Belsize had tried to “take all the money out of it at the expense of residents and staff."
Background
The Meadows has been hit with several critical inspection reports since January 2022.
The Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) confirmed that the home operator faced court action by the Care Inspectorate, before choosing to voluntarily withdraw its registration.
In July, authorities ordered the home to: better protect residents from falls; have "suitably qualified, skilled and competent leaders on every shift"; keep track of "weights, wounds, falls and adverse incidents"; ensure residents had "safe and appropriate" nutrition; and to improve dementia care.
The demands came alongside a threat that the home's registration could be cancelled if improvements were not made by August 28.
Unlike Huntly’s Balhousie care home, which closed earlier this year, the AHSCP has confirmed they will not take over the running of the Meadows due to a lack of resources.
As a result, alternative accommodation has had to be found for all residents of the 43-bed home.
Operator The Meadows Care (Huntly) Limited, along with Belsize Healthcare, is also linked to the Care Concern Group according to the AHSCP.
"We understand this will be upsetting news for our community and we would like to sincerely apologise for any distress they are feeling as a result of this decision."
A spokesperson for the operator said the "difficult decision" came despite the firm's “best efforts".
Admitting that the home faced "difficult recruitment challenges" due to its "remote nature", the operator said it had made: "significant investment into recruiting skilled and qualified overseas workers", and "a new management team" to address problems highlighted by authorities.
“The health and wellbeing of everyone who makes their home with us at The Meadows has always been our absolute priority," the spokesperson said.
“The home has faced difficult recruitment challenges, mainly due to the remote nature of The Meadows, and as a result we made significant investment into recruiting skilled and qualified overseas workers to work alongside a new management team.
"Nevertheless, despite our best efforts, and the substantial time and resource committed to address areas identified by the Care Inspectorate and Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership as requiring improvements, we have had to make difficult decision to voluntarily withdraw our registration and close the home.
“We understand this will be upsetting news for our community and we would like to sincerely apologise for any distress they are feeling as a result of this decision.
“We are committed to supporting residents, their loved ones and our colleagues through the transition period and in the interim our hard-working staff will continue to work tirelessly to provide care and support to our residents.”
Janine Howie, Partnership Manager for Health and Social Care South said: “Following the court action taken by the Care Inspectorate, and Care Concern’s decision to voluntarily hand back their registration to operate The Meadows Care Home, The Aberdeenshire Health & Social Care Partnership team has worked closely with families to find alternative placements for their loved ones.
“Our dedicated team has worked around the clock to identify appropriate options, and we also held a family meeting in Huntly earlier this week.
“This enabled relatives to voice any concerns, and we were also able to talk through the process.
“Unfortunately, the HSCP does not have the option to take over the running of the Meadows Care Home, as we do not have the capacity to safely manage another care home in this area.
“We continue to have a presence within The Meadows, and will continue to work alongside Meadows staff to ensure a smooth transition.”
‘Inadequate’ and ‘Weak’: The Care Inspectorate reports
In an inspection report from July this year, the home's leadership received the lowest rating: "inadequate".
Four other areas received the second-lowest rating of "weak": wellbeing; staff team; setting; and care; and support plans.
The report said that, within the home's leadership: "We found significant weaknesses which compromised the safety and wellbeing of people."
And that residents experienced "care that did not reflect dignity respect or compassion".
Some residents were found to have been left without toiletries, despite ticked charts showing that they should be present.
During the unscheduled visit, inspectors found that six people had been left until noon without receiving care.
The report also said a resident's television had been left inaccessible at the foot of their bed and one resident stayed in their nightdress for the entire day.
Suitcases were also left in residents' rooms, potentially "giving them the impression they were moving out".
"care that did not reflect dignity respect or compassion"
Staff also failed to notice when residents were hungry, with inspectors having to ask them to provide more food, while people with dementia were found not to have been kept safe.
The inspection report said medication was given to residents to manage stress, before "trying other strategies first".
During one incident, the report added, there was a "failure to learn lessons" from a "critical incident" where a resident had choked after being served unsuitably textured food.
In terms of setting, the inspection report also found that while "some bedrooms" were "comfortable and well presented", other "bedrooms were stark and lacked homeliness".
Dementia wing Isla, it added, had a "cold and uninviting feel".
An upheld complaint against the home from February 13, 2023 also highlighted problems with continence care, hydration, loss of property and incident reporting.
“She had lost a lot of weight” - Leigh-Anne Adams
Leigh-Anne Adams’s mother Carole Adams lived in the Meadows for five years.
Carole (76), who has vascular dementia and can't walk, moved into the Kirkney wing.
The move followed a difficult period in which she had cared for her mum while working full time.
The Meadows was chosen to make it easier for her sister, who lives near Huntly, to visit Carole.
After getting used to the home, Leigh-Anne said, her mum enjoyed its peaceful countryside location and the “really nice” staff.
However, over a number of visits, noticed a change in the quality of her mum’s care.
Leigh-Anne said her mum “had lost a lot of weight”, and developed bruises which home staff and management could not explain.
The 76-year-old’s wheelchair and much-loved fish tank were also found to have “disappeared”.
Having previously worked in care homes, Leigh-Anne, a Unison steward, said she also began to notice other issues taking root at The Meadows.
She said reduced budgets meant that only the “cheapest cuts” were bought for residents’ meals - which she said there was “no way” she would eat.
She also told of tensions between permanent Meadows staff, who stayed at the home after the takeover, and agency staff brought in by new owners.
“a whole load of stress on my mum, a whole load of stress on me and on my sister”
Upon first noticing care issues, Leigh-Anne said: "It felt awful, I felt so guilty.”
However, the situation became even more distressing after Care Inspectorate concerns were shared with families at the beginning of August.
"We had issues throughout her stay and we did voice our concerns,” she said.
"We knew we weren't being listened to and nothing ever really got done.
“After we found out what was happening with the Care Inspectorate, we had a meeting.
“That was when I started to feel even more guilty.”
Leigh-Anne said home management promised her the requested improvements would be made but, within weeks, was told the home would shut, and somewhere else would need to be found for her mum by September 6.
She said the news put: “a whole load of stress on my mum, a whole load of stress on me and on my sister” and had “brought up a lot of guilt for me too.”
The process of arranging alternative accommodation for her mum was “frustrating and stressful.”
Carole lived in Aberdeen before moving into the Meadows, and Leigh-Anne said social care catchment area rules meant her mum could only be moved to homes in the city.
"So it felt like a case of taking whatever the care manager could offer.”
And, despite the move happening “very quickly”, Leigh-Anne said the “inappropriate” new facility makes her feel like her mum has been “locked up”.
The move "didn't go well at all” and she is already working to move her mum again.
"There are hardly any spaces at the minute,” she said.
"So it felt like a case of taking whatever the care manager could offer.
"She's not so ill that she needs to be locked up.
"The floors are all locked and you can't go down in the lift without getting a code.”
Leigh-Anne said her mum has struggled with the move and is clearly upset about the new environment.
If the family had been given the chance to visit the new home, she added, they would have refused the offer.
"She is in a new place, she doesn't like it and I know she is down about that,” Leigh-Anne said.
"You could see it in her face.
"When she was in the Meadows, you could walk in and she'd be happy and smiley.
"And now she's completely different.
"Her face says it all - she is not happy where she is.”
"My mum will miss the staff and we’ll miss the staff.”
Despite the shortcomings in care her mum experienced, Leigh-Anne praised staff at the Meadows.
They went above and beyond as they wished her mum goodbye,she said, even though many had lost their jobs with their families cast into “stress and anxiety” as a result.
"When we left, and they were waving mum off, they were nearly in tears because they really liked mum,” she said.
"I know them, I've spoken to them throughout mum’s stay, and they are so good.
"My mum will miss the staff and we’ll miss the staff.
"A couple of them even asked where she was going so they could come to visit, because they will miss her.
"Obviously, the higher-up bosses aren't going to do that.
"Because, to them, residents in a care home are just a number - just like any other company that operates for profit.”
The root cause of problems, Leigh-Anne said, was that budget cuts made it impossible for the “really, really caring” staff at the Meadows to meet the needs of residents.
She added that care provision at the Meadows quickly went “downhill” after the take-over by Belsize.
"I don't know what more the staff on the ground could have done,” she said.
"If you don't provide staff the tools to do their job properly and do it well, they're never going to cope.
"I know that the staff at the Meadows wanted more training and support, but they were never getting the opportunity.
"Unfortunately, it all filters down from above.
"It is the ones above that are at fault, not the ones on the ground.”
"A lot of this is from companies' greed - complete greed."
She added that it was "the companies that are behind this”, and that the government: "have got to stop making things private.”
"I keep coming back to the same thing - it is all about money,” she said.
"No matter what way you look at it, the financing and the funding of the care home caused this problem.
"They need to provide funding to take on staff, they need their staff to be trained and they need to give staff time to do their training.
"And if that means employing more permanent staff, then so be it.”
The Meadows was “not the only” north east home to have its care quality hit by falling budgets, she said.
Blaming the problem on “complete greed”, she said care home operators should realise that “these are people’s lives they’re dealing with” and “it’s not all about profit.”
And, to improve the situation, "profit needs to be taken out of care", she added.
"A lot of this is from companies' greed - complete greed.
"Think how many people up and down the country are paying £800, £900, £1000, and sometimes much more, every month for their loved one's care.
"It could all have been prevented and that's the worst thing."
"The companies are raking it in and yet only give homes a certain budget.
"All while not giving their staff the training and the tools they need and want.
"This is what happens when, dare I say it, when it is taken out of local authorities hands and put into private ownership.”
The knock-on effect on residents of the budget cuts, Leigh-Anne said, “could have all been prevented”.
"I really, really feel for those residents that have been there for even longer than five years who are going: 'Where am I going to go now?',” she said.
"Or who don't fully understand what's happening, or why it's happening.
“It is such a shame - it really is.
"It could all have been prevented and that's the worst thing.
"If they had put the money into the home, made sure staff were given appropriate training and kept that training up to date.”
Responding to the statement issued by the operator, Leigh-Anne said she was certain that “on the ground staff” would be doing their best to support residents and families through the closure.
"But it is the people above them that didn't put the support in,” she added.
"If the company that operated it - and the higher-up people in charge - had put the money in, improvements would have been made by now.
“And it wouldn't be closed in the first place.
"It's just such a shame.”
Unison area manager Susan Kennedy
Unison area manager Susan Kennedy said "everything changed" after Belsize took charge of the home.
What had been a "very happy" home was left "really understaffed" with "no investment", she said, which impacted residents' care.
Staff were also forced to leave the home after feeling “bullied” by new management, she claimed, and families have now been left with a "soul-destroying" search for "scarce" local care home beds.
“I really do feel that if Belsize, or the umbrella company, had not behaved like they have we would not be looking at this just now.”
Describing the company's statement as "pretty shameful", Ms Kennedy said: “I mean, that is just corporate speak, isn’t it?
“I find that pretty shameful actually.
“Companies like Belsize take all the money out of the care system, at the expense of residents and staff.
“I really do feel that if Belsize, or the umbrella company, had not behaved like they have we would not be looking at this just now.
“If they had just supported the staff properly and had recruited properly.
"It must be very distressing not just for residents, but for staff.
"They will be feeling let down by all of this."
“They have been understaffed, really understaffed.”
Ms Kennedy said the issue of care home provision was "close to her heart", and had established positive relationships with care home managers across the north east.
She also claimed that Belsize's employment practices forced out the manager at the time of the take-over, before the firm appointed a manager who had: "already had two homes de-registered.”
The manager was replaced after concerns were raised, she added, but by that point: “it was far too late.”
“The biggest issue for us is the way that staff have gone unsupported for such a long time in that home," she said.
“They have been understaffed, really understaffed.
“Which resulted in a lot of issues with the lack of care for the residents.
“We have seen this before, and I am really sad to see that this has happened again in a place like Huntly."
Ms Kennedy claimed promotional materials for the Meadows, along with its website, were "misleading" by making it seem like an independent business without ties to national operators.
She also claimed that key working policies on topics including bullying had been missing for an extended period, after Belsize “deleted” the previous policies established by previous operators the Four Seasons Group.
“It was like there was a power struggle at the top to deliver the lowest-cost home in the group."
As well as the Meadows, Ms Kennedy said the Care Concern Group and Belsize also control Dounemount in Macduff and a number of other north east homes.
Even after staff began to leave, however, the home's new operator failed to start recruitment, Ms Kennedy said.
“For me, when they started losing staff from how they were treated after Covid, they should have been looking at a recruitment drive.
“But, instead, they went to Dounemount and started swapping staff and had managers covering both homes.
“They were coming back burned out.
“It is so hard for staff to walk away, because it is like their own family in the home – that really is how people feel and especially in smaller communities like Huntly.
"But if you haven’t got that support from the company you work for, you are just not going to stay.
“We feel very sorry that the Meadows has come to this - under the management of Belsize.”
She added that the Meadows had been a "lovely place, with lovely staff" before being taken over.
“It was one of the best homes in the area," she said.
“We feel very sorry that the Meadows has come to this - under the management of Belsize.
“It was like there was a power struggle at the top to deliver the lowest-cost home in the group.
“They took their eyes off the real part of the care business.
“It was a lovely place, with lovely staff who were very friendly.
“And the residents were very happy when I went in there previously."
