A care home for older people in Livingston must make urgent improvements in the care experienced by vulnerable residents, inspectors have said.

The Care Inspectorate has served a formal Improvement Notice on Livingston Nursing home following an inspection which raised serious concerns.

The notice lists seven areas which require urgent improvement.

These include putting in place consistent, good quality and effective management and leadership to guide and direct staff working across the service and improve the quality of care being delivered.

They must also ensure suitably qualified and competent staff are working in the care service at all times to meet the health, well-being and safety needs of residents.

And they must record any accidents appropriately and ensure that appropriate authorities, including the Care Inspectorate, are notified.

The Improvement Notice says: “Residents must consistently receive care and support to ensure that their personal hygiene needs are met.

“This must include assistance to bathe and/or shower regularly, taking account of the resident’s need and wishes. This must also include assistance with a resident’s oral care, ensuring that their teeth are brushed twice daily and that their needs and wishes are taken into account.”

A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: “The quality of care experienced by residents at this home is not good enough to meet individual needs.

“The Improvement Notice we have issued clearly lays out the improvements we must see so that the care experienced by residents improves quickly.

“We will visit this care home again soon to check on progress and if we are not satisfied that the matters raised are being addressed urgently we will not hesitate to take further action.

“Everyone in Scotland has the right to safe, compassionate care which meets their needs and respects their rights.

“Anyone with a concern can contact our helpline on 0345 600 9527.”

The improvement notice is available here: http://bit.ly/LivingstonNursingHome