East Lothian Courier | News | Shock care home claim is denied

Tuesday, 6th January, 2009

Published: Thursday, 28th February, 2008 10:10

Shock care home claim is denied

CLAIMS that a Dunbar hospital is to lose male beds to make room for female residents of crisis-hit Cockenzie House Nursing Home have been strongly denied by health service chiefs.

A source close to Belhaven Hospital, which provides respite, terminal and medical care facilities, has claimed that seven female residents of Cockenzie House – which is facing closure on March 31 – will be moved to the NHS Lothian-owned hospital before March 9.

The well-placed insider further claimed that four elderly men, including a war veteran aged 104, who are all waiting for a permanent nursing home place, would have to stop using Belhaven to accommodate them.

“Residents in Cockenzie House, used to having a private room and their own toilet will be placed on a six-bed open ward with two toilets,” said the source.

“When both of those toilets are in use, they will have to sit on a commode in an open ward with just a curtain drawn around them.

“People at the nursing home will be used to having their own furniture around them and their own pictures on the wall. But there is nowhere to put these things in Ward 2 at Belhaven. It is bound to have a detrimental effect on them.

“Although their placement at Belhaven is intended as a temporary measure, the reality is that most of these people will not live long enough to move anywhere else, because it will have such a negative effect on them.

“If elderly people are moved from place to place, it can be quite catastrophic.”

According to the source, respite bed reservations for April have been cancelled, meaning that families may have to cancel holidays booked, because there is now unlikely to be anywhere for their elderly dependants to go.

The claims – the latest twist in an extraordinary saga surrounding East Lothian’s biggest nursing home – were backed up by Dunbar and East Linton ward councillor, Norman Hampshire, who said he had been advised of developments by staff members.

He said: “It is unacceptable. The people coming from Cockenzie do not require NHS treatment yet are taking up NHS bedspace.”

It is understood that Belhaven hospital currently has capacity for six male and six female patients on ward two. Should seven female residents from Cockenzie House be moved there, they would take up the six male beds and one female bed, leaving only five female beds for respite, terminal and medical care for the area.

The four male patients must be found alternative provision before next Sunday, it is claimed, in order to facilitate the arrangement.

Mr Hampshire was speaking after it emerged on Tuesday that Cockenzie House owner Jim McDonald had offered the free use of his 70-bed facility to East Lothian Council.

The owner said the business was no longer viable due to the restrictions on admissions placed by a Care Commission improvement notice last July. The home, which provides care for residents placed there by the council, is currently running at less than half capacity.

Mr McDonald has previously rejected a council offer to buy the premises at a price to be fixed by the district valuer. Now, he has told council chief executive Alan Blackie: “I do not wish my residents to go to a hospital ward that is rightly meant for other people, and then will probably have to move again. That would be inhumane.

“To prevent this I offer East Lothian Council the use of Cockenzie House Nursing Home free of charge until more suitable arrangements can be made for my residents.”

Mr Blackie has confirmed receipt of Mr McDonald’s written offer, but has declined to comment.

Mr McDonald’s operating losses mean that the 80 Cockenzie House staff face going unpaid after March 9. He was yesterday (Thursday) due to meet with senior council officials to see if the authority would cover staff wages in the short-term.

Gerry Power, general manager of East Lothian Community Health Partnership, which manages Belhaven Hospital for the NHS, said: “We have been following the situation closely with our council colleagues and are considering a number of options in case we could assist with additional accommodation if required.

“However, at this time we have been advised by our council colleagues that there is no requirement to provide additional accommodation.

“We will continue to keep in close contact with our council colleagues, should the position change. We would like to reassure our existing patients that if the situation did change they would be unaffected and no-one would be discharged to make way for residents from Cockenzie House.”

A council spokeswoman said: “Since we learned Cockenzie House would be closing on March 31 we have been talking with the residents and their families to sort out alternative accommodation and to provide continued care. Some residents have already chosen and been placed in alternative accommodation. The vast majority of the 30 remaining residents have identified where they want to go to and between now and March 31 they will be moved at a suitable point.”

Councillor Ruth Currie, cabinet member for adult social services, added: “It’s clear that there’s a great deal of misinformation and mischief making about Cockenzie Nursing Home which is causing unnecessary stress to residents, families and staff.

“The council is continuing to work in a calm and planned manner to ensure the continued care of residents affected by the closure of Cockenzie House.”

The Courier understands that 21 of the remaining Cockenzie House residents have declared their preference for a place at Greenfield Park Care Home in Musselburgh.

Earlier this month, the property, which has capacity for up to 23 residents, was leased by the council from owners Forthcare. Until last year, it was leased to City of Edinburgh Council.

East Lothian Council is currently carrying out a refurbishment of the premises, which is due to be completed next Friday.

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