‘Exceptional’ staff praised in positive Brae care home report
Improvements requested at Edward Thomason and Taing Support Services
NORTH Haven care home in Brae has earned high ratings from inspectors after a surprise visit last month.
The home, which was caring for six people during the visits on 1 and 2 June, was rated as “good” for its leadership and its support of people’s wellbeing.
Its staff team were rated as “very good” by inspectors after speaking to the six service users, three of their relatives and observing them on the job.
They found that people at North Haven “were treated with dignity and respect”, and that they were “happy with the care and support they received”.
“People experienced warmth, kindness, and compassion in how they were supported and cared for,” inspectors said.
“People and their families told us ‘the staff and the service are exceptional’.
“A relative told us, ‘staff have been great and it’s a great place, they are so good and I’m happy, it’s like a hotel. The food is fantastic’.”
Inspectors at the Brae care home said they saw “evidence of very good relationships between people and staff”, and that these relationships “were used to very good effect in gaining people’s views and wishes”.
“Staff used humour appropriately and we could see people enjoyed staff being in their company.”
They found that people and staff “benefited from leaders who demonstrated a clear understanding about what was working well and what improvements were needed in the service.”
“They ensured that the outcomes and wishes of people who were using the service were drivers for change.
“People were confident in giving feedback and raising concerns because they knew leaders would act quickly and use the information to help improve the service.”
Inspectors had also set out five areas for improvement following a previous visit and said that all five had been met when they visited North Haven last month.
Edward Thomson and Taing Support Services in Lerwick were also visited by inspectors early last month, with some areas for improvement found.
The homes were rated as “adequate” for their leadership, staff team and planning of care and support.
However they received a “good” rating for their support of people’s wellbeing.
Twenty people were using the service when inspectors visited on 1, 2 and 3 June unannounced, who were spoken to along with 24 staff and management.
It said people living in the care home were happy with the care and support, with one person saying: “I couldn’t be in a better place”.
“People living in the care home and staff benefited from a warm atmosphere because of good working relationships,” inspectors found.
“One person told us, ‘everyone’s so helpful and lovely’, whilst another felt, ‘the staff are really very good’.
“Staff spoke positively about their experience working at the service, with many highlighting strong team working and a supportive environment across the care home.
“A number of staff had been employed at the service for a considerable period, which contributed to continuity of care and a stable workforce.
“Newer staff spoke of being made to feel welcome.”
However inspectors also found that “some work was needed to build a cohesive team across the whole home and across dayshift and nightshift”.
It said there was absence in the leadership team during their visit, which had led to some difficulties.
“The inspection was hindered by limited access to key evidence required to assess quality assurance systems, as records were not accessible by all leaders,” they found.
“This meant the service could not demonstrate effective oversight or monitoring.
“This highlighted a lack of contingency planning, with no clear arrangements in place to ensure continuity of service oversight following the absence in leadership.”
Staff had described the management team as “approachable but lacking clear communication and direction, with limited visibility across departments.”
“Opportunities for staff to engage with management were limited due to the absence of regular staff meetings,” inspectors said.
“Staff reported that meetings they had requested were either not arranged or were scheduled and then cancelled, reducing communication, involvement, and shared understanding across the service.”
They also raised concerns about the “lack of oversight for nightshift”.
It said social care workers were working unsupervised overnight as senior social care workers or social care practitioners only worked during the day.
The nightshift team were “motivated and felt able to work together as a team throughout the night to promote good outcomes for people.”
“However, they felt they could be better supported and less isolated from the rest of the staff team, including leaders at all levels.”
Edward Thomson and Taing Support Services were ordered to carry out some improvements, including to ensure all staff are up to date with essential training.
They were also required to ensure there are the right number of staff working over 24 hours to meet the needs of the people who live there.
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