Stornoway's Grianan care service is rated as '˜good'

A Care Inspectorate report on the Comhairle-run Grianan Resource Centre has rated the quality of care, support, management and leadership at the centre as '˜good'.

The Inspectorate’s report, based on an inspection completed in early December, found that the staff team was ‘warm, caring and showed respect in their interactions’, and that staff ‘clearly knew the people they supported very well and there was a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere’.

The Inspectorate saw ‘a welcoming service where people’s choice about where they spent their time was respected’, and that ‘people leading active lives both in the centre and also taking part in activities, education and volunteering opportunities in community settings’.

Staff, concluded the report, ‘worked hard to include everyone in activities of their choice and staff recognised and encouraged people’s individual skills’.

Staff members informed the inspectors that they ‘had benefited from a range of training opportunities that supported their learning and development’, and the report noted that there was a plan in place to support staff to achieve the required professional qualifications.

The Care Inspectorate made three recommendations for improvements to the service but found no areas of the service that required change.

The recommendations in the report included aspects of the review of personal care plans, and a review and update of service agreements for everyone using the service to clarify ‘what people are using the service for and the support that will be provided to them’.

The report also recommended that ‘effective and relevant’ quality assurance systems, audits and processes are in place to assess and improve the quality of service they provide.

During the inspection, the report noted, inspectors were told that the service would be developing its training further with the appointment of a training officer and that the service is in the early stages of merging with another day service, and ‘significant improvements were about to be made to the building and environment’.

Grianan provides a day care support service for up to 44 adults and older people with learning disabilities, mental health problems and physical and sensory impairments. Twenty four can attend Grianan Day Centre in Stornoway, with another twenty able to attend the satellite Carloway Day Centre.

The Comhairle was approached for comment on the report, but none had been received at the time of going to press.