Published: Friday, 18th December, 2009 10:46am

Stay of execution for Whim Hall care home

A LOCAL under-fire care home has been told that its doors can stay open for now.

A closure notice was being sought for Whim Hall, near West Linton after inspectors found no progress to have been made on faults identified by the Care Commission in June.

The home's owners, Guardian Care, who operate five other homes in the Borders, immediately drafted in a specialist management team to steer through major improvements and a new action plan to improve care for the home's 29 residents.

Cleethorpes Care and Nursing Ltd now oversee the day-to-day running of the home and they've brought in five more healthcare assistants to boost staffing while its managers will be in the home daily to introduce new systems and staff training.

This week Guardian Care, were told by the Care Commission that it was now no longer proceeding with a move to cancel the registration of the care service.

The commission, has written to Guardian saying it is satisfied that improvements are progressing well enough for the home to remain open, provided the action plan continues to be implemented.

An improvement notice for the home continues in place while the commission continues to monitor progress there.

Guardian Care Homes UK Ltd has pledged to make sure that Whim Hall, which is home to 29 elderly residents, is one hundred percent committed to the changes it needs to make, mainly in improving staff training and making sure that paperwork is of a high standard.

Gary Hartland, managing director of Guardian, has apologised to residents and their families for the failings at Whim Hall and promised to rectify them quickly.

He said: "We are pleased that the Care Commission is satisfied with the progress we are making and I know that residents, their relatives and our staff will be relieved that Whim Hall will remain open.

"We know that there is still more that we must do and we are working closely with the commission to make sure that all of the improvements needed are made for the benefit of our residents."