I SPENT a week working five gruelling 13-hour shifts as a care assistant at Ashley Court Nursing Home in Morningside.
The home is regarded within the industry as one of the region's better care homes and specialises in providing extra care for people with dementia.
And certainly my investigation did not uncover any abuse of elderly residents or failings which might put them in immediate danger.
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Charlotte's care home diary•
'They would sit, often alone. They were simply dolls on a conveyor belt'But I did witness a series of shortcomings at the home in Craighouse Terrace which paint a stark picture of life in a nursing home and the standard of care which any one of us might expect to experience. And the results have prompted a strong reaction, being described as "most disturbing" by Margo MacDonald MSP, and condemned by the charity Age Concern Scotland as a "threat to the health and wellbeing of residents and staff which cannot be excused".
The investigation found a series of apparent failings at Ashley Court relating to staffing, hygiene and recruitment.
These include:
• As few as two staff caring for 22 residents on one floor overnight.
• I was left alone with apparent responsibility for 22 residents on my second shift while other carers took a ten-minute a break.
• Apparent failure to carry out a criminal record check.
• No medical gloves seemed to be available for changing and washing residents for almost two entire shifts.
• Hygiene procedures ignored when dealing with resident with MRSA.
• Residents complaining of boredom and carers of under-staffing.
The Randolph Hill Group, which owns Ashley Court, denied there were any shortcomings in the care it provided while I worked there last month.
The company specifically denied I was left in charge of 22 residents, despite the fact I was left alone on a floor with no-one else on duty while my co-workers took a ten-minute break.
Although I was not given gloves and watched other carers hunting unsuccessfully for supplies, Randolph Hill also denied there was any shortage of gloves. A spokesman for the group added: "Gloves and aprons are always available and worn by the staff as part of our infection control policy, but good hand washing is also encouraged.
"Staffing never falls below the required levels as laid down by the Scottish Care Commission. Agency staff are used on occasions which is fairly common in this industry. The needs of all the clients are assessed as per NHS Lothian guidelines and details logged in personal care plans.
This covers the use of incontinence pads, the type of food and liquid provided and moving and handling procedures.
"Ashley Court employs two activity co-ordinators who organise bus outings twice a week and a wide range of home entertainments, including concerts, church services and visits by local schoolchildren."
A spokeswoman for Age Concern Scotland said the conditions I observed "cannot be excused".
She said: "While many care homes offer a very good standard of care for older people there continue to be too many which fail older people and which need to be brought to the attention of the regulatory bodies.
"This home clearly poses a threat to the health and wellbeing of residents and staff which cannot be excused.
"Also the residents' emotional and psychological wellbeing is at risk because of the way their care is being provided."
Age Concern Scotland said Ashley Court should "urgently seek help with improving standards" and called on the regulatory bodies to ensure that happened.
Ms MacDonald, the independent Lothians MSP, said: "Having found your report most disturbing I intend to ask the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care to investigate and comment."
I have compiled a dossier on my findings which will be passed to the Care Commission.
Lawrie Davidson, regional manager for the Care Commission, said: "The Care Commission welcomes issues or concerns being raised regarding care services. Complaints are a crucial way for us to drive up standards of care. They allow us to identify problems and ensure that care providers can put solutions in place to improve standards of care for everyone in Edinburgh and the Lothians. The issues raised by the Evening News – in particular the recruitment and staffing matters – may appear, at this early stage, to suggest failures in acceptable care standards."
He said there would be a "full and thorough investigation".
Ashley Court has been the subject of controversy in the past, although recent inspections show no serious concerns.
A fatal accident inquiry was ordered following the death of 92-year-old Isabella McGregor, who died just hours after being moved from the home after social workers raised concerns about her body being covered in bed sores, in 2004.
The inquiry found "no basis for criticising the general quality of care provided to Miss McGregor", although Sheriff Principal Edward Bowen QC condemned "a complete lack of understanding and insight" into the care of an elderly patient with bed sores at the home.
Earlier this year, Diane Whitton, 42, a nurse who worked at the home, was struck off after being found guilty of deliberately hitting a blind and disabled resident.
The full article contains 902 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
