Service urged to improve
A housing support and care at home service did not have a“detailed staff contingency plan”if there was a significant Covid outbreak, a Care Inspectorate report says.
Inspectors uncovered staff at Affinity Trust South Ayrshire who were not registered under the service with the industry watchdog, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
The revelations came to light during an unannounced inspection into the service, based in Viewfield Road, Ayr.
The facility is registered to provide a combined housing and care at home support service to adults. The Care Inspectorate said this was a“focused inspection”to evaluate“how well people were being supported during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
They found the service‘adequate’in care and support during the pandemic. But an extract from the report said: “The service did not have a detailed staff contingency plan should they experience a significant outbreak and if several staff were not able to attend work at the same time. They need to devise a contingency plan should staff become absent due to Covid-19 so there is minimal disruption to users.”
The Care Inspectorate noted that “some staff”were not registered, under the service, with the SSSC, an “oversight”that bosses promised to rectify. The service was rated‘good’ across four quality indicators and ‘adequate’across three others. However, some improvements have been sought by Tuesday, February 15. Among the improvements to be made, the service must ensure that the training provided and systems are in place to assess and monitor staff competency, regarding infection prevention and control practice are“in line with health and protection Scotland guidance.”
Another requirement is for the service to show it is“well led”has “effective oversight and monitoring tools”for all aspects of care and support and that staff have“professional registrations”with the likes of the SSSC. The Care Inspectorate said service users were“mostly happy”with their support and staff were“respectful, warm, and compassionate.”