Moray care home manager outlines "mammoth task" in turning Weston View's fortunes around
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A MORAY care home manager has described turning a Keith care home's fortunes around as one of the "most challenging" periods of her career.
In March last year, Shona Conlin took over as Weston View Care Home manager.
Previous owners Craigard Care Limited had gone into administration and Parklands, which Shona has worked with for over a decade, stepped in to take over management of the home.
"I was being asked to run a home that our company didn't own," Shona said.
"At that stage our role was simply to manage the home on behalf of administrators and follow very different managerial procedures and systems."
Previous inspections of Weston View graded its leadership as "weak" in a report that also noted an incident where an inspector found a mattress "wet" with urine.
Craigard Care Limited was subsequently issued with a letter of serious concern by the Care Inspectorate.
But following Parklands taking charge of the home, the operator moved immediately to raising the standard of care.
Shona said: "I am a very systematic, organised person, so my first priority was to ensure that the care provided to the residents was not compromised during the period of transition.
"I also had to get to know 40 new residents and their families and reassure them that Parklands had their best interests at heart."
Upon taking charge of the home, Shona quickly realised she would have to overcome several challenges to bring it up to standard.
That included the painstaking process of transferring Weston View's paper-based care records onto Parklands' electronic systems.
"This was a mammoth task lasting several months but fortunately I was supported by the staff team who knew their residents well," she said.
"This was a turning point, I felt, marking the start of a new relationship based on trust.
"The care team saw that we listened to them all, took on board their views and valued their expertise."
Parklands moved to reduce Weston View's reliance on agency workers which incurred high costs under Craigard Care. Shona says the move has allowed them to "invest more in our own people".
Decluttering the home was also a "big task" with the team filling18 skips but their efforts have paid off.
Shona said: "We have a beautiful, newly decorated home with new carpets throughout, a new lounge and dining rooms and a medication room fit for purpose.
"Seeing the end results of our labour has given everyone a sense of pride in the home."
With more ambitious plans still to come, Shona was pleased that February's Care Inspectorate inspection underlined the progress they have made so far.
Shona said: "I couldn’t be more delighted with the outcome. In three categories, Weston View was graded 5 (very good); and grade 4 (good) in two others.
"These grades are a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Weston View and represent a quite dramatic turnaround."
She added: "In a career spanning four decades, I thought I’d seen it all.
"The past year has been one of most challenging, but rewarding, of my career.
"There have been tears of laughter and tears of frustration but, in the end, we can be proud of what we have achieved together through teamwork."
