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: Banff home begins roof repairs while Highland playgroup praised for Gaelic lessons

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 banner above Deeside Care Home
Inspectors praised a number of services after recent visits, including Deeside Care Home. Image: DC Thomson.

A Banff care home has started work to fix its leaking roof while a Nairn playgroup has been praised for providing Gaelic language lessons.

The Press and Journal has looked 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.


Nairn Gaelic Playgroup

New ratings: Wellbeing – 4 , Leadership – 3, Staff – 4, Setting – 3

Previous ratings: Wellbeing – 3, Leadership – 2, Staff –4 , Setting – 3

Inspection date: October 10

A playgroup operating within Nairn Community Centre where the team work to develop children’s Gaelic language skills through books and during meal times.

The report praised staff stating: “They engaged children with fun interactions, naming items in pictures and modelling and repeating Gaelic words.”

One parent said: “They are always so pleasant, reassuring and very helpful”.

However, inspectors also raised issues at the playgroup, including the lack of suitable nappy-changing facilities.

Banff Care Home
Inspectors recently visited Banff Care Home. Image: Google Maps.

Banff Care Home

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

Previous ratings: Wellbeing – 2, Leadership – 2, Staff –2 , Setting – 1 Planning – 2

Inspection date: October 4

The previous care report exposed several major issues at Banff Care Home including damp and mould in bedrooms due to water damage.

Since then, work has begun to address the issues of water damage, with roof repairs to make the building watertight.

Areas which were impacted by water damage have been painted and cleaned up, while residents upset by the noise roof works were causing were moved to a new bedroom.

The report stated: “Improvement was evident in most of the areas identified during the previous inspection. As a result, people’s needs were being met more effectively.”

Deeside Care Home

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

Previous ratings: Wellbeing – 3 , Setting – 4

Inspection date: November 6

Staff at Deeside Care Home were praised for being “respectful, patient and kind” with residents.

One person told inspectors they were “spoiled” at the home which was also described as being “person-centred”.

There is plenty for residents to do thanks to the activity coordinator who tailors everything to people’s needs, including exercise classes, quizzes and crafts.

The home also benefits from a sensory room which inspectors said created a safe and calming space.

Overall, the home was praised for being warm and comfortable, with one resident saying: “Deeside is a beautiful home”.

Rocking Horse Nursery Aberdeen
Rocking Horse Nursery in Aberdeen. Image: Supplied.

Rocking Horse Nursery, Aberdeen

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

Previous ratings: N/A

Inspection date: October 2

Following the nursery’s very first inspection, the staff were praised for being “welcoming and friendly” and for being committed to developing the service.

Parents told inspectors they were overall happy and regularly encouraged to take part in events.

One said: “Every member of staff we have ever interacted with has been kind, friendly, and had known about our child.”

However, in some areas the strengths only just outweighed the weaknesses.

Snack and mealtimes were not consistent and children’s wishes were not always respected, according to the report.

Crossroads Care – Skye and Lochalsh

New ratings: Wellbeing – 5, Staff – 5

Previous ratings: Wellbeing – 5, Leadership – 4

Inspection date: November 1

Inspectors highlighted the “competent and professional” manager at Crossroads Care who ensured everyone was “highly satisfied” with the service.

Residents described it as a “lifeline” to the outside world which allowed them to stay connected to the community.

One person said: “I wouldn’t be here today if not for them. I cannot find fault with any of them.”

All of the staff were “well matched” to the people they helped to support and had built trusting relationships with them.

Mowat Court
Mowat Court Care Home in Stonehaven was praised by inspectors. Image: DC Thomson.

Mowat Court Nursing Home

New ratings: Wellbeing – 5 , Staff – 5

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

Inspection date: October 29

The Stonehaven-based nursing home was praised for its holistic approach to people’s care and support.

They focused on one-to-one and group activities with residents always consulted on what they would like to do.

The report adds: “People were supported to remain involved in their local community and remain connected to people who were important to them.”

Inspectors highlighted how passionate the staff were and how the values of the service were shared by the whole team.

One person said: “The staff are perfect”.

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

Conversation