An Aberdeen care home has made steady improvement following a previous weak inspection, as Harris nursery addresses leadership failings.
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 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 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.
Rutherieston House, Aberdeen
New ratings: Wellbeing – 2, Leadership – 3, Staff – 3, Setting – 4, Planned – 3
Previous ratings: Wellbeing –2 , Leadership – 2, Staff – 2, Setting – 3, Planned – 2
Inspection date: October 20-22
A previous inspection back in June rated the care home “weak” in nearly all areas, due to “insufficient staff numbers” with call-outs “significantly longer” than they should be.
More recently, inspectors noted long wait times had been reduced significantly and “staff were more visible and deployed more effectively”.
“Staff appeared more confident and motivated and reported that the changes were having a positive impact and morale had improved.”
However, there were still concerns around medication dispensing. The report stated: “We found a resident who had their medication administered but had been left with this in their mouth and was very drowsy”.
While the care home had met some requirements set out by inspectors, there were still improvements to be made.
Great Western Pre-School @ Broomhill, Aberdeen
New ratings: Wellbeing – 4, Leadership – 5, Staff – 5, Setting – 5
Previous ratings: Wellbeing – 5, Leadership – N/A, Staff –5, Setting – N/A
Inspection date: October 29-30
Providing pre-school care for up to 48 children, the service comes highly recommended by parents, with one commenting “I’d recommend this nursery time and time
again”.
The facility was described as a “comfortable, homely environment” with children’s artwork adorning the walls.
The management was praised for having “a clear vision” with suggestions from staff and parents welcome.
More experience staff were able to assist and support newer members of the team, with the team undergoing regular training.
One parent said: “The team are always on hand to discuss anything. We get a warm welcome every time he attends nursery.”
VSA @ Home, Aberdeen
New ratings: Wellbeing – 4, Leadership – 5, Staff – 5, Setting – N/A, Planning – 4
Previous ratings: N/A
Inspection date: October 15-21
Offering at-home care for more than 300 people across the city, the service has been praised for being “very well led and organise” as well as “inclusive”.
A strength of the service was the “stable leadership team who were very visible and very approachable to all” so staff felt confident to raise issues when needed.
Family of those receiving care were positive about the “friendly, professional and courteous” nature staff brought to the role.
The report stated: “Staff said that they enjoyed working for the company and that they felt very well supported in their role.”
Staff also felt included within the team and were encouraged to have their say.
Sgoil Araich an Tairbeart, Isle of Harris
New ratings: Wellbeing – 3, Leadership – 2, Staff – 3, Setting – 4
Previous ratings: Wellbeing – 2, Leadership – 2, Staff – 2, Setting – 4
Inspection date: October 7-8
A care service provided by Western Isles Council, with a capacity of up to 32 children, with a focus on helping children develop Gaelic language skills.
Inspectors reported “most children were happy and confident” while staff were “warm and friendly” creating a positive environment.
Staff would also try and talk with children in Gaelic, which some were confident to do and supported other children to help them understand better.
While there were weaknesses identified including leadership as a result of staff changes, inspectors noted the team were meeting regularly to discuss improvements.
The report stated: “Improvement ideas included, increasing children’s access to outdoors and welcoming families into the setting more regularly.”
You can find the full inspection reports on the Care Inspectorate website.
You can compare and monitor care home performance using The Press and Journal’s care home tracker.
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