Concerns have been raised about future standards at a Dumbarton care home looking after people with mental health issues and brain injuries.

Alderwood Care Home, situated on Gooseholm Road, was built in 2020 and opened to adults under 65 with brain injuries as well as severe and complex mental health issues in May 2021.

An unannounced inspection, carried out by the care inspectorate, took place between October and November last year where the care home was graded as weak (level 2) in supporting people’s wellbeing, leadership, staff team, setting and care and support. 

Inspectors returned in January this year and agreed that, following an intervention by the HSCP, (Health and Social Care Partnership) the care home now met the level three grade requirements of “adequate”.

During a recent HSCP meeting, it was confirmed that following the original inspection, work was carried out to address these serious concerns. 

Margaret-Jane Cardno, Head of Strategy and Transformation, said: “This has been of very significant concern to officers to the point that a large-scale investigation was started to look at some of the very serious concerns we had as an HSCP.

“The large-scale investigation is now closed. During the period of the investigation we had a moratorium on placements there. None of our service users were placed at that time.

“Since then the moratorium has been lifted. We continue to work very closely with Alderwood. We still have some concerns about the care homes ability to sustain a number of the improvements so we continue to have a very close relationship with them and will maintain that so they continue to progress and improve.”

Deputy council leader, Michelle McGinty, raised concerns that Alderwood might go backwards instead of progress forward as intended. 

She said: “I am very aware of Alderwood and it does deal with people who have brain injuries. It is a very specialist unit. 

“It is not a care home for the elderly per se – my worry is, because it is so specialised, they are only getting 3s across the board so the strengths are just outweighing the weaknesses. 

“Those weaknesses are still very much there and without that support – how confident are we that they will be offering a level of service to those very vulnerable people?

“Do we have more stuff planned in the future to strengthen those reports?”

West Dunbartonshire HSCP is committed to a longer-term programme to work with Alderwood to ensure they continue to improve.