Report on child sexual exploitation
Care services across Scotland are generally working well to protect children from the risks of sexual exploitation, according to inspectors.
The Care Inspectorate has today published a report on a focused scrutiny programme which looked at how well care services are preventing and responding effectively to child sexual exploitation.
Inspectors found that, overall, care staff were generally well informed about the risks of exploitation and understood their roles and responsibilities in promoting young people’s wellbeing, but identified a number of areas for improvement. The findings come from over 330 inspections of residential care, boarding school accommodation, residential special schools, secure care, fostering agencies, and adoption services.
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New inspection approaches
We are changing the way we inspect the quality of care and support to reflect the new Health and Social Care Standards.
We will start using a new quality framework in care homes for older people from July 2018, and roll out changes to other settings in the year ahead.
Chief Executive Karen Reid has written an important circular letter with more information about this, including an update on scrutiny and improvement work in other settings and in our strategic inspections of local partnerships.
You can read Karen's letter here.
Visit our dedicated webpage to find out more about changes for care homes for older people here.
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Spynie Care Home, Elgin
A care home for older people in Elgin has been told to make urgent improvements in the care experienced by vulnerable residents.
The Care Inspectorate has served a formal Improvement Notice on Spynie care home following an inspection which raised serious concerns.
The notice lists three areas which require urgent improvement:
The Improvement Notice says management at the home must ensure service users’ physical, social, emotional and psychological needs are met in a way which respects their wishes and choices.
Management must also ensure staff at the home are trained, competent and skilled in relation to continence care, nutrition, pressure ulcer prevention and supporting people with stress and distress.
And they must demonstrate to the Care Inspectorate that residents’ health, safety and well-being needs are met in a manner which promotes their dignity.
A spokesperson for the Care Inspectorate said: "Everyone in Scotland has the right to safe, compassionate care which meets their needs and respects their rights.
"When inspectors visited this care home recently they found the quality of care experienced by residents to be unacceptable.
"We remain committed to working with all care services in Scotland to support improvement, but where things are not good enough, it is important that we set out clearly what needs to change.
"The improvement notice lists three important aspects of care which must improve swiftly, so that people experience a standard of care they have a right to expect.
"We will continue to support this service and will visit again, unannounced, to check on progress. If we are not satisfied that the matters raised are being addressed urgently we will not hesitate to take further action.
"Anyone with a concern can contact our helpline on 0345 600 9527."
The improvement notice is available here: http://bit.ly/spynieimprovementnotice
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Let’s get creative and celebrate Care Home Week 2018
By Edith Macintosh, Head of Improvement Support
We’re delighted to be joining in the celebrations for Care Home Week 2018. It is a great opportunity to raise awareness of Scotland's care homes, the people who live and work in them, their role in local communities and the opportunities care homes offer to enhance the lives and wellbeing of a wide range of people.
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What are the things that are important to you at the moment?
By Sara Twaddle and Rami Okasha
‘What matters to you?’ Today on 6 June is a fantastic reminder for all of us involved in health and social care to encourage, and have, conversations with those we support or care about on what matters to them.
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