Ninth resident dies at coronavirus-hit care home in Skye

A ninth resident has died at a care home at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak in Skye.

The news comes just hours after care home operator HC One confirmed an eighth resident had died at Home Farm care home in Portree on May 13.

Thirty of the home’s 34 residents, as well as 27 staff, have tested positive for Covid-19.

The first case detected at the end of April was the first time coronavirus had been confirmed on the island.

The Care Inspectorate has lodged a court bid to cancel HC-One’s registration of Home Farm, which could prevent it from running the facility.

An interim suspension of registration will take place on 20 May. A procedural calling of the case will be on 17 June.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, local MP Ian Blackford said people in Skye have been very worried about the situation.

“I think of course there are legitimate questions that have to be put as to what’s been happening with HC-One and the running of this home, and that’s been borne out by the Care Inspectorate report.”
Ian Blackford, SNP MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber

He said: “I think of course there are legitimate questions that have to be put as to what’s been happening with HC-One and the running of this home, and that’s been borne out by the Care Inspectorate report.

“So I think the fact that the population here can see that NHS Highland are taking a leadership role in partnership with the company and running the operation there – it’s going to be a sense of relief more than anything else.”

He said NHS Highland has been involved in looking after the home’s residents over the last few weeks but will now take on a more active role.

Last week an unannounced inspection of Home Farm by the Care Inspectorate raised “serious concerns”.

NHS Highland then revealed it would step in to provide “enhanced assistance” to HC-One at its Skye facility.

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: “An inspection has identified serious and significant concerns about the quality of care experienced by residents at Home Farm Care Home in Skye.”

As of Wednesday, more than 1400 deaths involving Covid-19 to date in Scotland have occurred in care homes – 45% of the total.

A total of 1438 of coronavirus-related deaths were in care homes, compared to 1537 (48%) in hospitals and 238 (7%) in home or other settings.

The proportion of fatalities in care homes has been steadily rising week-on-week from 25% in mid-April.