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Melvich care provider making ‘very good progress’ with staff team after follow-up inspection





Melvich Community Care Unit, Portskerra. Picture: Google Maps
Melvich Community Care Unit, Portskerra. Picture: Google Maps

A north coast care home has made “very good progress” in areas related to staff training, a recent inspection has found.

Melvich Community Care Unit in Portskerra, which provides care for older people, received an unannounced inspection from the Care Inspectorate on December 17, 2024.

Discussions were held with six people using the service and two of their family members, as well as five members of staff and management, while inspectors observed practice and daily life at the home.

The visit followed an earlier inspection in May 2024, after which a requirement was made that staff be “well trained and supported with their professional development” to ensure service users' “health, welfare and safety was protected”.

After a seven-hour visit, inspectors noted the care service had made “very good progress” in this area, finding that people using the service experienced “kind and compassionate care and support” from staff who “knew them well”.

It was noted that the provider now had a “suite of mandatory essential training” and that staff had completed this “with very few exceptions”.

Satisfied that the previous requirement had been met, the care authority left one recommendation that management complete a training needs analysis for each member of staff.

Overall, the staff team was evaluated as “Adequate”, with a score of three on the Care Inspectorate’s six-point scale.

Inspectors concluded that another previous requirement, for the provider to ensure that staffing was “sufficient” to meet the “health, welfare and safety needs” of people living in the home, had been met “in the most part”.

The service, which was noted for its strong links to the local community, has benefitted from the support of local organisations and services, inspectors said.

It was also noted that residents benefit from a range of activities and outings, and that residents and their families had “good opportunities” to be involved in developing the service.

One area for improvement was deemed to have not been met, relating to the use of the Kings Fund Tool, an assessment document aimed at improving the physical environment for people living with dementia. Inspectors noted that this had been started, but had not yet been completed.

Lastly, although inspectors noted that although they saw good progress in developing care plans, further work was required to ensure these were reviewed and updated when needs changed.


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