Playpen Nursery in Inverness given weeks to improve after visit by Care Inspectorate
A damning report identifies a range of areas in which the nursery must improve.
Playpen Nursery, located in the grounds of Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, is privately run and provides care and learning for up to 37 children up to school age.
Two members of the Care Inspectorate made an unannounced visit to the nursery on June 29 and 30.
Their report, published this wee,k lays bare a host of weaknesses, with quality of leadership and staff given the lowest rating possible – unsatisfactory. Quality of care, play and learning – and the nursery setting – fare a little better but are still deemed as weak.
A “serious concern letter” was issued on the first day of the inspection as inspectors had “significant concerns regarding the use of important information to support children’s health and wellbeing”. This related to a lack of risk assessments in place for children with identified needs, and a further visit on July 5 found immediate improvements had been made.
However the nursery still has significant work to do to meet inspectors’ demands in other areas by October 7.
In terms of play and learning, inspectors said: “Some children had fun through their play, however this was not consistent across the different age groups.”
They were pleased with the nursery’s baby room but of two other playrooms for older children, they said: “It was not clear what the children had learned and how this learning had been supported and extended by staff.
“Overall, planning for and supporting children’s play experiences required significant improvement to meet children’s needs across the older age groups.”
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In terms of care and support they said: “Some interactions from staff were kind and nurturing, however this was not consistent throughout the
whole staff team.
“A few staff knew the children well and were able to describe their individual needs and the way they cared for them. However, overall staff skills, knowledge and understanding of child development and how children learn through play was weak across many of the team and their practice.”
It acknowledged that a “large majority” of the staff were new and inexperienced which, in terms of learning, they said, meant “some children became disengaged for prolonged periods of time, wandering around the playroom with little interaction from staff.”
It was similarly noted the nursery manager was relatively new to the job, having been in place since May.
Inspectors said: “As result, it was too early to see any positive impact of the new manager with regards to outstanding areas for improvements and actions to move the service forward in a positive and sustained direction.
“We spoke with the provider about the importance of ensuring the new manager had sufficient and protected time to carry out the duties and
responsibilities of her role.”
“In addition, to ensure the manager is supported to engage in further training and professional development to help her to fully meet the requirements and responsibilities of her role.”
In terms of the nursery setting itself inspectors noted some improvement since an inspection last year, mostly in the baby room, but also detailed how some toys and furnishings were “broken or ripped”.
By October 7 the nursery is required to have comprehensive personal plans for children and ensure all staff are aware of children with specific health needs and be supporting them as necessary.
They also have to develop and implement an effective system of quality assurance, monitoring staff practice and quality of children’s experience and safety.
Staff should also be equipped with the knowledge and experience necessary for their role, with sufficient numbers of staff deployed as appropriate.
A spokesman for the Care Inspectorate said the nursery will receive another unannounced visit after this date, with any further action dependent on what they find at this time.
The nursery was approached for comment but failed to respond before the HN went to press.
