The Social Care Standards Authority has issued the outcome of the Downtown Hotel investigation on conditions and facilities for elderly patients that had been transferred from the Sant’Anna Residence at Gozo General Hospital.
In a statement the Authority confirmed that the premises are “adequate and in line with the requirements of an emergency license.”
The Social Care Standards Authority said that it has initiated an investigation following the allegations of “families ‘horrified’ by conditions at Gozo hotel.”
It said that “the main issues underlined included; rooms being too small for two patients, corridors and lift being too small, the structure of rooms, gurneys which do not fit through doors, a lack of certainty on whether wheelchairs can manoeuvre through lifts and rooms, and the lifter not fitting in rooms.”
The Authority said that the outcome of its investigation was that; “the rooms can accommodate two persons, a wheelchair can manoeuvre in the corridor and rooms, the residents’ hoists are being used in the rooms when necessary, medicine is safely stored, and the health care professionals are providing the same level of care they used to give at Ward Sant’Anna.”
Steward Health Care was granted an “emergency license” by the Social Care Standards Authority in accordance with Legal Notice 74 of 2020, “due to exceptional circumstances brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic,” the Authority said.
It explained that “the emergency license was requested to operate in a community-based setting, in order to transfer the patients from Ward Sant’Anna at Gozo General Hospital to Downtown Hotel.”
The Authority stressed that it also ensured that the contingency plans and necessary procedures are in place.
The Authority added that it issued a number of recommendations to the service provider including:
“increasing communication through video calls between the older persons and their relatives so that such a measure can also serve to assure that the care required is being received;
“ensuring that the service includes a structured programme of varied activities based on the identified needs of the individual; and
ensuring that each resident is provided with adequate storage space for personal belongings.”
The Social Care Standards Authority went on to say that it will conduct follow up visits in the coming days to ensure that the issues raised are being addressed.
It concluded by saying that “in the event that the recommendations put forward are not implemented, the Authority would take the necessary action in the best interest of the older persons.”
Photos: MGOZ