News / Sandwick nursery tackles critical report
A PRIVATE nursery in Shetland is tackling issues raised in a critical report from the Care Inspectorate that saw some of its gradings plummet in the space of just two years.
Mairi Jamieson, who manages the Central Private Nursery and Out of School Club in Sandwick, said she was taken aback by the strength of criticism in the report that followed an unannounced two day inspection carried out in April.
The inspectors were particularly unhappy with the fact the nursery did not have a manager on site after Jamieson took on a full time job outwith the nursery, but also took issue with the state of the building and the pressure of work staff faced.
However Jamieson said she was in the process of recruiting a new manager, work was already being planned on the building and she had enough staff for the number of children she looked after.
The report, published on Monday, praised the staff for the level of care and support they provided for the children at the former Central Bakery that had been converted to look after pre-school and primary age children after school.
It said that overall parents and carers were happy with the service and thought the two full time and one part time relief staff were “wonderful”, “warm and caring” and “full of good ideas” for play activities.
However the inspectors said staff were unable to take a proper break during the day and had not reached the appropriate level of qualifications.
They also highlighted the state of the building’s exterior and its roof, both of which were in need of improvement, with one parent describing it as “an eyesore”.
However they reserved their strongest criticism for Jamieson herself, saying that she was operating “illegally”, as support staff were left in charge of the children without a fully qualified manager present.
Jamieson said the report had come as a shock, but she was determined to tackle all of the issues the inspectors had raised within the next six months.
“I was taken aback by the report when I read it seeing as I was doing pretty much what I had been doing two years ago when we had a much better inspection,” she said.
“I have been in the process of recruiting a new manager for some time, but it’s difficult when people who have the qualifications can earn much better money in Shetland at the moment working at the new gas plant or on the accommodation barges.”
She added that the building repairs were in hand and the staff were now properly registered and upgrading their qualifications to the appropriate standard.
“We are taking care of everything the Care Inspectorate has asked for, but the most important thing is that the children are properly looked after and as the report said, the parents and carers are all happy with that,” she said.
The nursery is due to receive a follow up inspection in September.
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