Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Care round-up: Aberdeen home praised for ‘family atmosphere’ while Danestone nursery makes big improvements

We take a look at the latest reports for care homes, nurseries, childminders and after-school clubs across Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Highlands.

Care round up across the Highlands Aberdeenshire and Moray.
Image: DC Thomson

An Aberdeen care home has been praised for “good, humoured banter” between staff and residents, while a Danestone nursery has made improvements.

The Press and Journal has taken a look at this week’s raft of inspection reports issued by The Care Inspectorate.

These cover the Highlands, Moray and Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

The organisation is the watchdog for the care industry and inspects providers such as care homes and childcare services to ensure they meet standards.

The watchdog grades services on key areas including wellbeing, leadership and staffing on a six-point scale where 1 is unsatisfactory and 6 is excellent.

Here is a look at some stand-out reports from this week.


Maryfield West Care Home, Aberdeen

New ratings: Wellbeing – 5, Leadership – 4, Staff – 5, Setting – 4, Planning – 4

Previous ratings: Wellbeing – N/A, Leadership – 4, Staff – N/A, Setting – 4 Planning – N/A

Inspection date: October 14-15

The Queen’s Road care home has 24 elderly residents and inspectors found interaction between staff and residents to be filled with “lots of appropriate good, humoured banter”.

Residents also enjoy activities including bingo, baking, Zumba, and walking groups.

One family member said they were “very impressed” with the service, while another said: “It’s a small care home with a family atmosphere.”

Staff were welcoming, warm, and working hard to support people, according to inspectors.

the exterior of Danestone Primary School Nursery building in Bridge of Don.
Danestone Primary School Nursery building in Bridge of Don. Image: Scott Baxter/DC Thomson

Danestone Primary School Nursery 

Previous ratings: Wellbeing – 2, Leadership – 2, Staff – 2, Setting – 2

New ratings: Wellbeing – 3, Leadership – 3, Staff – 3, Setting – 3

Inspection date: September 17

Danestone Primary was previously given a weak rating following an inspection in May.

Inspectors observed children climbing on furniture, tables and a windowsill. They were also able to access nappy sacks – a potential choking hazard.

Inspectors were told by a parent that a child had been found unattended in a playroom.

Since then the nursery has made improvements to the service, with inspectors stating “progress had been made in all areas of improvement”, since the last visit.

“Children were happier and more settled within nursery” this time around.

Flexible Childcare Services, Inverurie

Previous ratings: Wellbeing – 4, Leadership – 4, Staff – 4, Setting – 5

New ratings: Wellbeing – 2, Leadership – 3, Staff – 2, Setting – 3

Inspection date: September 14-16

Flexible Childcare Services provides daycare for children with additional support needs and, at the time of inspection, six children were there.

Inspectors noted inconsistencies in the care provided including during meal times and play times between each child.

the outside of Inverurie Community Campus, which houses Flexible Childcare Services
Flexible Childcare Services operates out of Inverurie Community Campus. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

While staff were praised for providing fun activities for the kids, inspectors noted failures in securing and recording medication.

The temperature in the two sensory rooms was not at a comfortable level, with one being chilly and the other stuffy. One also had limited items for children to play with.

Mid Yell Junior High Nursery School, Shetland 

Previous ratings: Wellbeing – 5, Leadership – 5, Staff – N/A, Setting – N/A

New ratings: Wellbeing – 5, Leadership – 5, Staff – 5, Setting – 5

Inspection date: September 23-24

It has been seven years since the last inspection at Mid Yell,  yet the team has maintained high standards with positive grades on a recent visit.

According to inspectors, personal plans were created for each child and in collaboration with families to maximise the child’s development.

Highlights of the visit included lunch which was “relaxed, unhurried, and sociable”, while the staff were praised as “lovely, helpful and amazing”.

A parent commented: “My child loves being outside, and they have the opportunity to do this every day.”

a small child plays with a wooden numbers train set
We gathered the latest care reports from across the north and north-east. Image: Shutterstock.

Green Tree Nursery, Inverness

Previous ratings: N/A

New ratings: Wellbeing – 3, Leadership – 3, Staff – 3, Setting – 3,

Inspection date: September 11-12

Located in Smithton, the nursery cares for up to 75 children, including babies who “were readily given cuddles and reassurance from responsive, attentive staff”.

Inspectors did note the nursery could do more to develop children’s “personal planning” and there were inconsistencies in hygiene measures.

They praised the good quality furniture and said babies benefitted from improvements to the Little Owls baby room.

Children attending breakfast club and out-of-school care enjoyed relaxed, sociable play experiences influenced by their choices and interests.

You can compare and monitor care home performance using The Press and Journal’s care home tracker.

Conversation