
East Ayrshire planning partnership inspection receives positive report
An inspection of services in the East Ayrshire planning partnership has found strengths in ensuring that children and young people at risk of harm are safe. However, some areas for improvement were also identified. The joint inspection included teams from the Care Inspectorate, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and Education Scotland. Teams also included young inspection volunteers, who are young people with direct experience of care services. They receive training and support and contribute to joint inspections using their knowledge and experience to help evaluate the quality and impact of partners' work. The inspection took place between September 16, 2024 and March 6, 2025. The inspectors met with and observed six babies and listened to the views and experiences of 84 children and young people as well as 27 parents and carers. They also met with six elected officials and 3631 staff, including senior leaders and those who worked directly with children, young people and families. Inspectors found that staff were confident in their abilities to recognise and report signs of child abuse, neglect and exploitation. Children were safer because of effective recognition and initial response to risk. The effective implementation of the Scottish Child Interview Model ensured that children were able to give quality evidence, whilst being protected from further trauma. Multi-agency assessments, planning and reviews were undertaken for children and young people at risk of harm. The majority of assessments were of good quality, but the quality of plans to support children and their families were more variable. Staff across agencies were deemed to have worked well together to ensure that appropriate support was provided to keep children and young people safe and to help them recover from their experiences. Children and young people were also said to be respected and supported to give their views. Staff listened to children and young people and understood what was important to them. However, the partnership was taking steps to improve the way it captured data to better evidence outcomes. Inspectors also noted that it was difficult for the partnership to know the value of some services and how to target resources most effectively. Jackie Irvine, Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate, said: 'The inspection found a number of important strengths, and that the work of partners was making a positive difference to the lives of children and young people at risk of harm. 'The Care inspectorate and its scrutiny partners are confident that the partnership in East Ayrshire have the capacity to make changes to service delivery in the areas that require improvement. 'We have requested a joint action plan that clearly details how they will make improvements in the key areas identified. We will continue to offer support for improvement and we will monitor progress.' Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Courier
a day ago
- The Courier
EXCLUSIVE: 'Large-scale' investigation launched into Blairgowrie care home after complaint over care of resident
A 'large-scale' investigation has been launched into a Blairgowrie care home after a complaint over the care of a resident. Perth and Kinross care chiefs are probing Muirton House Care Home, which supports elderly people and those with dementia and learning difficulties. It follows a complaint from the family of a resident at the home, 40-year-old Heather Sandilands, who claimed she was not being given the proper care or support. The Care Inspectorate upheld a complaint made about Muirton House, including that Heather – who has Down syndrome and type one diabetes – was given 'inadequate access to meaningful social and recreational activities'. She was eventually moved from the Essendy Road home after eight years. Heather's sister Kirsty Cambridge, who is her welfare guardian, told The Courier that Muirton House seemed a good fit for her when she moved in. Kirsty said: 'She had a fantastic life there, better than I felt I could've provided myself. 'They were always out doing things, non-stop activities. 'I saw on Facebook all the things they were up to – they went to great lengths to make it a family home. 'Then came Covid, and all the activities stopped, and Heather started to have some behavioural issues. 'When lockdown passed, life went back to normal, but there were some staff changes at the home with new management. 'Heather used to spend the money I'd send her for when they were out doing things. 'I noticed she wasn't spending any money, and I could see on the Facebook photos her hair was long – she hates long hair. 'I phoned up to ask, and they told me they didn't have enough staff to take her out to do these things, like going to the hairdresser.' Kirsty claims Heather was being kept occupied by activities like cleaning her room instead of going swimming and out to eat food. 'Her life became like lockdown, and then the behaviour started again,' Kirsty said. 'I felt I had no alternative but to go to the Care Inspectorate.' All four parts of Kirsty's complaint to the Care Inspectorate were upheld. The watchdog found that: The report said: 'Ms Sandilands did not experience care planning reflective of her needs, wishes, choices and stress and distress symptom management.' Kirsty says when she saw the report, she was 'horrified' and it was 'actually worse than I realised'. In April 2025, Heather was given 28 days to leave Muirton House on the grounds it was unable to meet her clinical care needs. She has since been moved into a new care home in Clackmannanshire, closer to her sister. Off the back of concerns raised about the home, Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership has launched a 'large-scale' investigation – a multi-agency probe that takes place when people may be at risk of harm in a care setting. The partnership is made up of representatives from Perth and Kinross Council, NHS Tayside and other agencies. A spokesperson said: 'We can confirm that Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership is undertaking a large-scale inquiry into Muirton House. 'We are working with the provider, residents, other placing local authorities and families, as well as the Care Inspectorate, to ensure that any issues identified are resolved promptly and all residents receive the highest possible standards of care and support.' A spokesperson for Muirton House, which is run by Larchwood Care, said: 'It would not be right for us to discuss publicly any individual and their care needs. 'We are working with the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership to ensure that the care and support provided is of the required standard. 'The informal feedback has been very positive, and where necessary, changes have been made. 'We are confident in the care and support provided.'


The Herald Scotland
02-06-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Secure accommodation units at risk amid capacity concern
Capacity was already stretched, with the previous intake accommodating 78 young adults. Admissions were paused at St Mary's Kenmure in Bishopbriggs – one of the four independent charities offering secure care – after the Care Inspectorate raised 'serious and significant' concerns, warning taking in more people could create 'serious risk to the life' of residents. New admissions resumed in December, but capacity was restricted to 12 of the overall 24 spaces. The Scottish Government announced four new beds in March, made available at Rossie in Montrose. Capacity issues have been ongoing but exacerbated by law changes which requires under-18s sentenced to prison to be transferred to secure accommodation units. Read more: Scottish Tory MSP Roz McCall raised concerns vulnerable children may be 'overlooked' for secure care without more social workers and more beds. While the Children (Care and Justice) Act has been welcomed, she told The Herald: 'It was to stop young people going into young offenders units. Nobody wants to be putting someone under the age of 18 into jail – but where were the judiciary going to put them? They were going to just look at it and send them to secure accommodation. 'That is exactly what has happened, which means that people who need to go to secure accommodation for their own wellbeing are now being overlooked because the judiciary is using the spaces. 'Those vulnerable young people are either left in an environment at home that might be a very toxic and traumatic experience for them, or they are going to have to put them into residential care, which comes with its own problems.' She added: 'We just don't have the social workers. We said at the time the Care and Justice Act was going through parliament that we needed 500 more social workers to be able to enact this. 'We're a year on and we do not have the social workers. The whole system is grinding to a halt and the Scottish Government is not prepared.' 'This is not just an urgent problem, I think it is beyond urgent,' she said. 'It is a categorical failure. "With every day that goes on and you're talking about a child from a traumatic background who experiences trauma, if they don't get the right support and they don't get the right care, then that just exacerbates that trauma. Read more: "Not only have they had a traumatic experience in their family, but that it is being made worse by a system that is meant to help them. That is a problem. "The current state of the system is quite shocking. We are not looking after people properly. "I am very, very concerned that if this is the status quo, the next time we have another statement from the minister, or another six months down the line, the amount of children that we will have failed will be absolutely shocking and what happens to them for the rest of their lives?' The change in law followed a spate of suicides of young people detained in young offenders' institutes. It freed up around 70 prison places and followed former first minister Nicola Sturgeon's pledge to 'keep the promise', which committed to ending the placement of 16 and 17-year-old's in young offenders' institutions. Figures on secure accommodation are updated daily, with Good Shepherd Centre in Bishopton, Kibble Education and Care Centre in Paisley and St Mary's in Bishopbriggs at capacity. Rossie, in Montrose, has just two spaces available if a vulnerable young person is sent there. A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Secure accommodation is the most complex form of care for children in Scotland and means capacity can shift daily. We have increased the number of beds available since the start of this year and there is currently capacity in the secure care estate. 'Decisions around the placement of children in secure accommodation remain with the relevant expert decision makers and the best interests of each child are prioritised in placement decisions. 'While employers are responsible for ensuring there is sufficient workforce capacity, the Scottish Government is contributing to capacity-boosting efforts and increasing access to social work qualifying programmes. 'From the next academic year, we are uplifting the annual postgraduate social work bursary to £11,000.'


BBC News
27-05-2025
- BBC News
'Critical failings' at Highland home care service, says watchdog
The Care Inspectorate says vulnerable patients were put at "risk of harm" due to "critical failings" at NHS Highland's Care at Home service in Sutherland. Medication was administered incorrectly, with patients needs often neglected at a Highland care service, according to a new follows concerns raised last month by the watchdog. NHS Highland previously said it had developed an action plan that it is trying to implement as quickly as possible. It has been approached for further comment. The Care Inspectorate has issued the service with an improvement notice, with changes required or it would recommend the cancellation of the service's registration. In its new full report on the service, the watchdog said managers were warned about "unworkable rotas" which led to visits being missed and families not being staffing levels were also described by workers as a "nightmare", and inspectors said the needs of clients were often watchdog judged all elements of the service to be either unsatisfactory or weak. It said there had been "critical failings in leadership". Earlier this month, the GMB union said workers repeatedly warned Sutherland Care at Home Service managers that visits were being missed or cut short due to "understaffing and unrealistic schedules".