High marks for care standards at North Uist home

The unannounced inspection of the home, which is managed by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and which is registered to provide long-term and respite care services for 12 older people, was conducted last November.

The report states that inspectors found the home’s staff team to be ‘warm and caring’ and that they showed respect in their interactions with residents and were ‘kind and helpful’.

The home has, the report states, ‘a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere’ with good links to the local community including a nursery group and local churches, who regularly visited the service, and residents have, the report notes, access to a good range of different activities each week.

In terms of care planning, the Care Inspectorate reported that the home involved residents and their families in the development of care plans and that there was ‘a strong leadership presence’ in the service and that staff were ‘well supported’.

One area for improvement of the service was identified in the report in an aspect of the management of resident’s medication, and the Care Inspectorate reported has stated that the service must ensure that there is ‘a full assessment of people’s needs undertaken with regards to what support they require with medication including topical and oral medication’.

In a statement from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar on the Care Inspectorate’s report, a spokesperson for the authority said that the report was ‘further evidence of the improvement agenda underway across our residential care services’.

‘We are particularly pleased’, the statement continued, ‘that the contributions of social care staff and visiting staff from partner agencies has been recognised in terms of the quality of care and support experienced by service users, and in delivering good outcomes.

‘The report also recognises the positive impact service users, their relatives and wider family members are having on service users lives. These improvements have all been supported by having a stronger leadership presence in Trianaid’.

The Comhairle’s statement concluded: ‘We also recognise the need to improve the management and administration of medication and following the inspection we have introduced a more rigorous auditing process surrounding the management and administration of medication.

‘It is important for service users, family members and the wider community to have confidence in the services supporting their loved ones and this report goes some way in offering such reassurance’.