Residents were served reheated meals at a Fife care home and a St Andrews nursery manager has been warned over discriminatory comments.
The Courier has taken a closer look at the most recent Care Inspectorate and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) reports for Tayside, Fife and Stirling.
The Care Inspectorate is the watchdog for the care industry and inspects providers such as care homes and childcare services to ensure they meet standards.
Services are graded on areas like wellbeing, leadership and staffing on a six-point scale where 1 is unsatisfactory and 6 is excellent.
Meanwhile, the SSSC regulates care professionals and their conduct.
Fernlea Care Home, Cardenden
Previous ratings
- Not available
New ratings
- Wellbeing – 3
- Leadership – 3
- Staff – 3
- Setting – 4
- Planning – 3
Inspection date
November 20
Residents at Fernlea were found to have good relationships with the staff team.
However, the Care Inspectorate report said medication management needed to improve.
Inspectors found some discrepancies in controlled medication records.
While the service had identified these, steps had not been taken to investigate the issues.
Staff were also reheating some meals in the microwave for people with adapted diets as meals were plated some time before serving.
Inspectors said the meals were not temperature checked which is “important to ensure the meals are safe to eat”.
Residents’ fluid and food intake was also not monitored consistently.
Inspectors issued a series of requirements to be completed by January 17.
Scott McClymont, St Andrews
St Andrews nursery manager Scott McClymont has been warned about his behaviour after he made discriminatory comments about a colleague.
The SSSC said he made “funny run” remarks about a staff member with a medical condition.
The watchdog ruled that McClymont had caused emotional harm to his colleague.
A 12-month warning was placed on his registration.
West Fife Care at Home, Fife
Previous ratings
- Wellbeing – 4
- Leadership – 4
- Staff – Not assessed
- Setting – Not assessed
- Planning – Not assessed
New ratings
- Wellbeing – 3
- Leadership – 4
- Staff – 3
- Setting – Not assessed
- Planning – 4
Inspection date
October 9
Inspectors said West Fife Care at Home – provided by the local authority – treated people with “kindness dignity and respect”.
However, they highlighted shortcomings regarding staff shortages and high staff turnover.
As a result, some service users told inspectors that visits lacked consistency, which caused stress and tiredness.
One said: “I can’t cope with new people all the time”.
The service has been asked to ensure that users receive consistent and stable care and support.
Lunan Court, Arbroath
Previous ratings
- Wellbeing – 4
- Leadership – 4
- Staff – 4
- Setting – 4
- Planning – 4
New ratings
- Wellbeing – 4
- Leadership – 3
- Staff – 4
- Setting – 4
- Planning – 4
Inspection date
November 15
Residents told inspectors they were happy and well cared for at the home, which offers nursing and nursing dementia care.
Additionally, inspectors said staff were working well as a team and morale had improved.
However, they noted no safe pedestrian access in and out of the home.
The report added that while the manager had made a “positive impact”, this was a temporary position, creating uncertainty for residents.
Staff would also benefit from specialist training as several residents in the home had learning disabilities.
St. Margaret’s RC Pre School Class, Montrose
Previous ratings
- Care, play and learning – 4
- Setting – 4
- Leadership – 3
- Staff – 4
New ratings
- Care, play and learning – 5
- Setting – 4
- Leadership – 4
- Staff – 5
Inspection date
October 23
Inspectors said children had a “sense of belonging” in the service during the visit.
They found “significant strengths” in aspects of the care provided, which supported positive outcomes for children.
The staff team were also praised during the inspection.
One parent told inspectors, “It is nice to see that there is a headteacher who is present in the building every day.”
Additionally, the Angus Council-run service has improved its leadership since the previous inspection.
Fimjunas Paramba, Dunblane
Senior care assistant Fimjunas Paramba has been warned after submitting material copied from the internet while working towards an SVQ2 qualification.
The SSSC also stated that he had claimed injuries to a resident were caused by abuse or poor practice in the same exercise, which was not true.
The report said Paramba, who was employed by Randolph Hill Nursing Homes at the time, had acted dishonestly.
The watchdog placed a 24-month warning on his registration.
Mountfleurie Primary School Nursery, Leven
Previous ratings
- Care, play and learning – 4
- Setting – 4
- Leadership – 5
- Staff – 5
New ratings
- Care, play and learning – 4
- Setting – 4
- Leadership – 5
- Staff – 4
Inspection date
November 20
The Care Inspectorate said children were “happy, settled and having fun”.
Inspectors also praised staff for “kind, warm and nurturing” interactions.
Children had daily access to the outdoors.
Additionally, the views of children and families were “valued and activity sought”.
Westfield Family Nurture Centre, Cupar
Previous ratings
- Care, play and learning – 5
- Setting – not assessed
- Leadership – not assessed
- Staff – 6
New ratings
- Care, play and learning – 5
- Setting – 5
- Leadership – 5
- Staff – 5
Inspection date
October 24
The Fife Council-run service was praised by inspectors for its “well-organised” environment that encouraged “exploration, enquiry and fun”.
Children were found to be happy and settled as they experienced “genuine warmth, caring and nurturing”.
They also benefitted from a “passionate and motivated” leadership team.
Staff knew children in depth and sensitively supported them throughout the day.
Other recent reports published by the Care Inspectorate are listed below (clicking will download a PDF):
- Peek-a-Boo Nursery Markinch, Glenrothes
- Bellfield Centre, Stirling
- Lomond Court Nursing Home, Glenrothes
- Ladybird Playgroup, Arbroath
- Kirriemuir Day Care, Kirriemuir
- Kincairney House, Perth
- Carmichael House, Dundee
- The Beeches Nursing Home, Dunfermline
- Care Partners Health Care, Dunfermline
- Forebank Care Home, Dundee
- Hillcrest Futures Angus Homecare, Arbroath
- Cherry Blossom Nursery School, Dundee
- Sonia Moyles Child Minding, Dunfermline
You can find the full inspection reports on the Care Inspectorate website.
You can compare and monitor care home performance using The Courier’s care home tracker.
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