The Social Care Standards Authority has found nothing wrong with the Downtown Hotel in Victoria, Gozo, being used as an old people's home, despite families of the elderly residents saying they were 'horrified' at the conditions.

The hotel is being used to house elderly residents who were moved out of Dar Sant-Anna, which adjoins the Gozo hospital, so that hospital facilities could be moved there owing to the COVID-19 emergency.

The authority said it had launched an investigation into the families' complaints, which included that rooms were too small for two patients, corridors and lifts were too small, gurneys did not fit through doors, and there were doubts that wheelchairs could be manoeuvred through lifts and rooms.

The authority said it found that the rooms could accommodate two persons, a wheelchair could be manoeuvred in the corridor and rooms, the residents’ hoists were being used in the rooms when necessary, medicine was safely stored, and the health care professionals were providing the same level of care they used to give at Ward Sant’Anna.

It said it also ensured that contingency plans and procedures were in place.

"The Authority confirms that the premises are adequate and in line with the requirements of an emergency licence," it said.

Recommendations

The authority, however, recommended better communication through video calls between the older persons and their relatives, saying this could also serve to assure that the care required was being received.

It recommended a structured programme of varied activities based on the identified needs of the individual and that each resident is provided with adequate storage space for personal belongings.

More than 70 elderly patients were relocated to the hotel so that the entire geriatric wing of Gozo general hospital could be re-purposed to house coronavirus patients.

The hotel stands to make around €1.6 million from the year-long contract, which was signed without going to tender.