Nursery staff told to wash hands more

Nursery staff at a private boarding school in Perthshire have been told to wash their hands more often to reduce the risk of a COVID outbreak after scoring poorly during an unannounced inspection.

The Care Inspectorate paid Morrison’s Academy Nursery in Crieff a visit in May and noted some staff did not wash their hands before putting face coverings on or after taking them off while working alongside children.

Assessors also noted some workers wearing face coverings incorrectly, some of their registrations to work with children had lapsed and they had no appropriate consent to administer certain medicines.

The Care Inspectorate subsequently scored standards of care and support shown towards children during the ongoing COVID pandemic as“weak”in an official report published last week.

Responding to the findings, a spokesperson for Morrison’s Academy told the PA staff had already been told to wash their hands after handling face coverings, all their registrations had been updated and protocols applying to medication had been adapted.

The spokesperson went on: “While we accept the findings of the Care Inspectorate’s report, as an organisation we are proud of how our nursery team have supported our nursery pupils and their families during the COVID pandemic.

“The team has continuously delivered a pupil focused experience, full of care, learning and exploration, while nurturing and supporting every child.

“Our consistent operation both during and while out of lockdowns and the innovation our team has employed to ensure our parent community still feel involved in the experience of their young ones is something we are proud of.

“While we were disheartened by some of the findings of the inspection, we were delighted that the inspectors saw the happy, welcoming and supportive environment we have created for our nursery pupils during this difficult year.

“We look forward to our next Care Inspectorate visit and to continuously improving our nursery’s standards.”