“Compassion, dignity and respect” shown to people attending West Mainland Day Centre, Inspectors found

People attending the West Mainland Day Centre in Dounby experience “compassion, dignity and respect”, according to the Care Inspectorate. 

An unannounced inspection was carried out during October 2023 and the full findings are available on the Care Inspectorate website – www.careinspectorate.com 

The key messages are: 

• People using the service were happy with their support. 

• People benefitted from kind and compassionate support from a stable staff group. 

• Feedback from people informed how the service was run. 

• People enjoyed a range of community and centre-based activities linked to their preferences. 

• Quality assurance systems should be enhanced and used to inform a service development plan. 

• Personal plans should be developed to reflect individualised goals. 

The service was evaluated as “very good” in terms of supporting people’s wellbeing, people experienced compassion, dignity and respect and attendees were getting the most out of life. 

Leadership and quality assurance was rated as “good”. 

The Inspectors stated: “People attending West Mainland Day Centre benefitted from positive relationships with each other and the staff team. Staff interactions with people experiencing support were warm and respectful. People were supported by a stable staff group who knew them well. This promoted trust and a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. 

“We saw the service had received complimentary feedback from people supported. People we spoke with during the inspection commented positively on the staff team, activities, and quality of meals. Comments included: ‘lasses are all good’, ‘we have lots of fun’, ‘love chatting with friends’, ‘food is good’. The meal experience provided a positive social opportunity and his contributed to a pleasant day.” 

The centre is well equipped, maintained, welcoming, clean and bright, the report went on. 

The Inspectors added: “A flexible activity programme included activities to promote independence, physical activity and wellbeing. The service planned further work with an external agency to encourage physical activity. Other activities enjoyed included baking, board games, bingo, light gardening, quizzes and art and craft work. Meetings took place to give people attending the opportunity to influence the activity programme. This helped to ensure people enjoyed their time at the day care. 

“People were supported to be involved in their local community. A range of outings had taken place for lunch and afternoon tea, to the garden centre and to an event at the cathedral. Attendees of the centre took part in the ‘Parish Cup Games’ and the ‘Dounby Show’.” 

One area for improvement centred on staff developing personal plans to reflect people’s individual goals. 

The Inspectors found significant strengths in aspects of the leadership at the care centre.  

The report stated: “The new management team demonstrated a commitment to providing a high-quality service and Inspectors said leaders were approachable and responsive. A staff survey evidenced a high level of job satisfaction and it was clear staff worked well together.” 

A second area for improvement was identified around enhancing quality assurance systems to help inform a service development plan.