Orkney Islands Council has less than a month to improve its sheltered housing after a scathing inspection.
The Care Inspectorate carried out an unannounced visit to Rae’s Close, Stromness, and Lambaness, Kirkwall, last October.
In the subsequent report, four key areas were graded – with three of these judged as being “weak”.
The sheltered housing service was given a rating of two out of six for how well it supports the resident’s well-being.
The same grade was given for the competency of leadership and how well care and support are planned.
A grading for the capabilities of the staff team was better, but not by much.
It was rated three, or “adequate” in the October inspection.
Service poor, but staff praised
More positively, the inspector noted there were “warm interactions” between the users and staff.
Several positive comments about the staff were also included in the report.
However, recruitment challenges remain an issue as when regular staff were absent cover wasn’t always “routinely deployed”.
The report found people were not always told about changes to the service.
And, in general, there was a lack of clarity about staffing contingency arrangements.
The report states that, when it came to the staff team, the weaknesses “only just” outweighed the strengths.
Inconsistencies around staff training found
The report noted “inconsistencies” in staff training around areas including adult protection, infection prevention and control, and fire safety.
There was also no evidence of “direct staff observations”.
Staff would benefit from regular meetings, it says, and teamwork “varies” across the service.
Another running theme from the report is that several of the recommended improvements were made previously but still haven’t been completed.
Ultimately, the council must make improvements to the service – and has a deadline of January 15 to do so.
The Care Inspectorate has said there will be a follow-up inspection.
What do the council say?
Orkney Islands Council responded saying they are “exceptionally concerned” by the Care Inspectorate’s findings.
But they added improvements were already underway.
A council spokesperson said: “The report also reflected the significant staffing challenges that are being faced, particularly in terms of recruiting relief staff to shore up the resilience of the service – an issue that provides a common thread across inspections of lots of Orkney-based services over the last year.
“Work continues around recruitment into this sector.”
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