New operator of Invergordon care home offers assurances in wake of incident under previous owner; Kintyre Care home pledge as new owner takes charge of Eatser Ross home
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THE new owners of an Easter Ross care home at the centre of a row over a former resident with dementia who was found bleeding on the street after leaving in the early hours of the morning have offered assurances about their new regime.
Kintyre Care Home in Invergordon hit the headlines earlier this month after 79-year-old Catherine Marandola was found covered in blood lying face down in the street in the early hours of the morning.
The daughter of the former canteen worker, Denise Marandola, this week insisted she won't let the matter lie after moving her mother to a different care in Tain.
She wants to know why no one at the care home – which was bought over from the then owner Lorimer Homes five days after the January 5 incident by the Sanctuary Group – has been disciplined. She called for the home to be closed pending an investigation.
Staff, police and other emergency services undertook a manhunt for Mrs Marandola for approximately 40 minutes before she was found by off-duty policeman more than 1.4 miles from her home lying face down in the middle of a road shortly before 2am. She needed treatment for wounds on her face and body – and the circumstances surrounding how she left the home undetected remain a mystery to her daughter.
She said: "I just want justice for the other residents in Kintyre House and all the family members. They have all been beside themselves with worry about it all. We were out of our minds with worry. I keep playing it over and over in my mind."
As well as calling on the Care Inspectorate to act and asking for answers from Lorimer Homes, she is also calling on the new owners to investigate.
Sheila O’Connor, director of operations for the Sanctuary Group, said:“We completed our purchase of Kintyre House on January 10 and cannot comment on any incidents that occurred under the previous ownership.We are aware of the concerns that have been raised and want to reassure residents and their families that we will be using our 20 years’ experience in the care sector to ensure staff provide the highest possible standards of care at Kintyre House – care that is centred on the individual needs of each resident. We are very proud that almost 90 per cent of our care homes are rated as good or outstanding, compared to the market average of 79 per cent.”
A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said: "We recently visited this care home and are carefully considering the information we have gathered in relation to a complaint. Where we uphold a complaint we publish the outcome on our website. We inspect all care homes in Scotland regularly and will publish an inspection report on this service in due course."
Related story: Invergordon grandmother found wandering after leaving home
