Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited
Day Care of Children
Mayfield Farmhouse
Cupar
KY15 5NU
Inspected by: Tracey Goddard
Type of inspection: Unannounced
Inspection completed on: 22 August 2012
Inspection report continued
Contents
1
2
3
4
5
6
Page No
3
5
7
10
31
32
32
Summary
About the service we inspected
How we inspected this service
The inspection
Other information
Summary of grades
Inspection and grading history
Service provided by:
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited
Service provider number:
SP2012011832
Care service number:
CS2012308211
Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service:
Tracey Goddard
Telephone 0131 653 4100
Email [email protected]
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 2 of 33
Inspection report continued
Summary
This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of
performance which were examined during this inspection.
Grades for this care service may change after this inspection following other
regulatory activity. For example, if we have to take enforcement action to make the
service improve, or if we investigate and agree with a complaint someone makes
about the service.
We gave the service these grades
Quality of Care and Support 4
Good
Quality of Environment 4
Good
Quality of Staffing 3
Quality of Management and Leadership 4
Adequate
Good
What the service does well
We found that children were cared for in a warm and nurturing environment. Very
good use of the outdoor environment provided children with opportunities to
experience fresh air and exercise. The designated sleep room ensured that younger
children's routines were maintained.
What the service could do better
The Provider should consider reviewing the policies and procedures to make them
more parent friendly. Once reviewed they should share them with parents.
The Provider should ensure that staff are given training to enable them to undertake
their duties effectively.
The Provider is required to ensure that new staff are registered with the Protection of
Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG) prior to allowing them to work in the service, and
that satisfactory references have been obtained.
What the service has done since the last inspection
This is the first inspection of this service. We found the staff team very approachable
and they appeared eager to work with us to make improvements within the service.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 3 of 33
Inspection report continued
Conclusion
Although we found that staff at Mayfield Playfield provided families with a good
standard of care, their lack of understanding about recruiting staff safely has resulted
in them receiving an overall lower grade for Quality Theme three. The Provider must
ensure that this area of adequate practice is addressed.
Who did this inspection
Tracey Goddard
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 4 of 33
Inspection report continued
1 About the service we inspected
The Care Inspectorate regulates care services in Scotland. Prior to 1 April 2011, this
function was carried out by the Care Commission. Information in relation to all care
services is available on our website at www.careinspectorate.com.
The Care Inspectorate will award grades for services based on findings of inspections.
Grades for this service may change after this inspection if we have to take
enforcement action to make the service improve, or if we uphold or partially uphold a
complaint that we investigate.
The history of grades which services have been awarded is available on our website.
You can find the most up-to-date grades by visiting our website, by calling us on
0845 600 9527 or visiting one of our offices.
Requirements and recommendations
If we are concerned about some aspects of the service, or think that it could do more
to improve its service, we may make a recommendation or requirement.
-A recommendation is a statement that sets out actions the care service provider
should take to improve or develop the quality of the service but where failure to do so
will not directly result in enforcement.
-A requirement is a statement which sets out what is required of a care service to
comply with the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and Regulations or Orders
made under the Act, or a condition of registration. Where there are breaches of
Regulations, Orders or conditions a requirement must be made. Requirements are
legally enforceable at the discretion of the Inspectorate."
We registered Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited in July 2012.
A Manager has day to day management responsibility for the service.
The service is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of 50 children of
primary school age at any one time. To provide a care service to a maximum of 50
children who are not yet attending primary school, of whom no more than 9 may be
under the age of 2 years.
On the day of the inspection there were 17 children in attendance and 8 members of
staff.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 5 of 33
Inspection report continued
The service operates from a recently converted property in a semi rural area of Cupar,
Fife. It is located close to local amenities and Cupar town centre. The accommodation
consists of six well presented playrooms, designated sleep room, two sets of
children's toilets, designated nappy changing area, kitchen and a fully enclosed
garden for children to access active play opportunities. There are also 20 acres of
fields that children can use with
staff supervision.
The Aims and Objectives as summarised on the service's website include:
'To offer children space to relax and learn whilst encouraging them to take their early
steps towards developing their personalities, individualities and prepare them for
Primary School.'
'To actively encourage outdoor learning and encourage children to learn to assess
their own risks in the outdoors teaching them new skills every day.'
Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following
grades:
Quality of Care and Support - Grade 4 - Good
Quality of Environment - Grade 4 - Good
Quality of Staffing - Grade 3 - Adequate
Quality of Management and Leadership - Grade 4 - Good
This report and grades represent our assessment of the quality of the areas of
performance which were examined during this inspection.
Grades for this care service may change following other regulatory activity. You can
find the most up-to-date grades for this service by visiting our website
www.careinspectorate.com or by calling us on 0845 600 9527 or visiting one of our
offices.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 6 of 33
Inspection report continued
2 How we inspected this service
The level of inspection we carried out
In this service we carried out a low intensity inspection. We carry out these
inspections when we are satisfied that services are working hard to provide
consistently high standards of care.
What we did during the inspection
We compiled this report following an unannounced inspection that took place
on Thursday 9 August 2012 between the hours of 9:30am and 4:30pm and Friday 10
August 2012 between the hours of 8:45am and 2:30pm. The inspection was carried
out by Care Inspectorate Inspector, Tracey Goddard.
As requested by us the service sent us an annual return. They also sent us a self
assessment form.
At this inspection visit we gathered evidence from various sources, including the
following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
observing how staff work
evidence from the service's most recent self assessment
children's files records
accident and incident records
complaints records
minutes of meetings
discussion with the Manager, staff, parents of children who used the
service and children who were present during the inspection
• observation of the environment, toys and equipment.
Grading the service against quality themes and statements
We inspect and grade elements of care that we call 'quality themes'. For example,
one of the quality themes we might look at is 'Quality of care and support'. Under
each quality theme are 'quality statements' which describe what a service should be
doing well for that theme. We grade how the service performs against the quality
themes and statements.
Details of what we found are in Section 3: The inspection
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 7 of 33
Inspection report continued
Inspection Focus Areas (IFAs)
In any year we may decide on specific aspects of care to focus on during our
inspections. These are extra checks we make on top of all the normal ones we make
during inspection. We do this to gather information about the quality of these aspects
of care on a national basis. Where we have examined an inspection focus area we will
clearly identify it under the relevant quality statement.
Fire safety issues
We do not regulate fire safety. Local fire and rescue services are responsible for
checking services. However, where significant fire safety issues become apparent, we
will alert the relevant fire and rescue services so they may consider what action to
take. You can find out more about care services' responsibilities for fire safety at
www.firelawscotland.org
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 8 of 33
Inspection report continued
The annual return
Every year all care services must complete an 'annual return' form to make sure the
information we hold is up to date. We also use annual returns to decide how we will
inspect the service.
Annual Return Received: No
Comments on Self Assessment
Every year all care services must complete a 'self assessment' form telling us how
their service is performing. We check to make sure this assessment is accurate.
The Care Inspectorate received an adequate self assessment. It was basic and
contained a limited amount of information. There was little evidence of how the
management intended to improve the service. We spoke to the service and
advised them that for future inspections this must be further developed.
Taking the views of people using the care service into account
On the day of the inspection there were 17 children in attendance. They were mixing
well and confident to approach staff for comfort and reassurance. The interaction
between staff and children was nurturing.
Taking carers' views into account
We sent out 20 questionnaires and 12 were completed and returned to us before our
inspection. We asked about the overall quality of care their child received in this
service. All parents indicated that they were happy.
The comments from the questionnaires have been included in the body of this report.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 9 of 33
Inspection report continued
3 The inspection
We looked at how the service performs against the following quality themes and
statements. Here are the details of what we found.
Quality Theme 1: Quality of Care and Support
Grade awarded for this theme: 4 - Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of the care and support provided by the service.
Service strengths
We found this service was performing well in the areas covered by this statement. We
concluded this after we:
* Spoke to the Manager, Depute Manager and five members of staff.
* We also spoke to parents and children who used this service and viewed relevant
documentation.
We confirmed that the parents had good opportunities to assess and improve the
quality of care and support provided by the service.
There was good evidence to support that the service was in the process of developing
systems, which would allow parents and children to give their feedback about all
aspects of the service they were providing.
Chatting to parents at drop off and pick up times allowed parents to pass over
information, which they felt staff needed to know. For example, a change in routine
or circumstance. This enabled staff to care for individual children in a way that took
account of their specific needs.
Asking parents to complete an 'All About Me' form gave staff an insight to children's
likes, dislikes, special interests and dietary requirements. Staff gave good examples of
how they used this information to ensure that they were aware of children's differing
needs and preferences. This meant that staff could provide care and support for
children which reflected their individual needs.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 10 of 33
Inspection report continued
Parents' evenings, provided formal opportunities for parents to discuss their child's
progress, and share with staff how they felt that their child could be further
supported by the service. A parent we spoke to told us,
"Staff are really good at letting me know about my child's developmental progress,
they write daily diaries, which let me know about how much child has been and
things. Parents' evenings have started too so that's good."
We saw that daily diaries were in place for the younger age group. Looking through
the comments in the diaries, we confirmed that staff provided opportunities for
parents to discuss the different ways they could meet individual children's care and
support needs. We thought this was good practice because it meant that staff could
provide children with a consistent level of care. A parent we spoke to told us,
"Daily diaries keep me well informed."
Children were informally involved in planning activities and events, through
observations made by staff and responsive planning. This meant that the children
were involved in activities that were clearly reflective of their interests. For example,
staff had observed that one child was finding it too hard to build a tower with the
building blocks. They suggested to him the he should try using the Duplo, which
would make it easier for him because he could build the bricks together.
The service had formally begun to seek the views of parents by asking them to
complete a questionnaire. The Manager had a good understanding of why it was
important to use their comments and suggestion to improve the service.
Of the 12 Care Standard Questionnaires returned to us before the inspection, 10
parents 'strongly agreed' and 2 parents 'agreed' that staff shared information about
their child's learning and development with them and, where appropriate, their child.
Comments included:
"We are always kept well informed of what is happening, and regularly invited to join
in."
Areas for improvement
Two parents made the following comments in the Care Standard Questionnaires and
during the inspection visit:
"One area where Mayfield could improve on is communication with parents at pick up
times. I often pick my child up and depending on who is working it can frequently fall
by the wayside to update me on activities, appetite and potty training. Improving this
aspect of communication would definitely improve my overall feeling about the
nursery."
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 11 of 33
Inspection report continued
"I get no real 1 to 1 so to speak of. I would like more formalised opportunities to
discuss my child's day and progress. Sometimes the information they have on my
child does not reflect his abilities. Overall though I am happy with the service and find
staff very approachable."
We discussed this with the Manager and she told us that parents who have children
moving up from the baby room now receive written feedback on their child's day. The
Manager also stated that the service will continue to look for ways to communicate
with parents.
The service identified the following area for improvement:
To improve the weekly snacks list by taking note of children's likes and dislikes. We
support this as an area for improvement and will review this at the next inspection.
On the day of the inspection we noted that the some of the 'All About Me' forms had
not been completed. We advised the Manager that they should be completed for all
children in their care, because this will help staff to provide an appropriate level of
care and support, which reflects each child's needs.
See Recommendation 1.
Although the service had issued a questionnaire to parents, they had yet to audit this
and inform parents of the results of the questionnaires. The Provider needs to
consider developing this further to evidence that the service is routinely auditing the
feedback they get from parents. They need to develop systems to evidence when
parents views and ideas have influenced changes within the nursery.
See Recommendation 2.
Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 2
Recommendations
1. We recommend that the Provider ensures that staff accurately complete all the
information that they require when children come into their care. National Care
Standards 6 Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - Support and
Development.
2. We recommend that the Provider continues to explore other ways for gaining the
views of parents and children. The service should collate and audit all feedback.
They should inform parents and children how their feedback is influencing all
aspects of the service. National Care Standards 13 Early Education and Childcare up
to the age of 16 - Improving the Service.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 12 of 33
Inspection report continued
Statement 3
We ensure that service users' health and wellbeing needs are met.
Service strengths
We found this service was performing well in the areas covered by this statement. We
concluded this after we:
* Spoke to the Manager, Depute Manager and five members of staff.
* We also spoke to parents and children who used this service and viewed relevant
documentation.
We confirmed that staff were providing a good service, which met the health and
wellbeing needs of the children in their care.
Children's health and wellbeing needs were promoted in a variety of ways, for
example:
Staff were good at providing activities that encouraged older children to support the
younger children in the service. This good practice helped children learn how to cooperate and be kind to each other.
We saw throughout the inspection visit that staff were attentive towards the children
and provided a nurturing environment for them to play and interact with their friends.
Appropriate interaction and simple questioning from staff allowed the children to
develop an awareness of why it was important to be kind to each other. This reflected
in the friendships that the children were developing.
Younger children's routines were maintained by staff; this ensured that they had a
consistent level of care. For example if a child was used to having a nap at some
point in the day, staff ensured that they had opportunities to rest when they needed
to. A parent we spoke to told us:
"My child has really come on, staff are so supportive. They helped me get my child
into a routine."
The service had a designated sleep room to ensure that children could sleep without
interruption. This good practice promoted individual children's well being as they were
well rested and ready to participate in the activities that staff provided for them.
Comments from parents included:
"My child is still sleeping daily and is put to bed in quiet surroundings. This helps her
cope with the rest of the day."
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 13 of 33
Inspection report continued
Continuity of care was evidently important to the service. We noted that the staff
teams within each of the playrooms rarely changed. This meant that children and
staff got to know each other really well, and staff could plan responsively to meet
each child's needs.
Good infection control procedures helped staff to prevent the spread of infection
within the service. Children were encouraged to wash their hands regularly and
dispose of used tissues. We saw that staff chatted to children about the importance
of hand washing. This encouraged the children to develop an awareness of good
hygiene practice. Staff gave a clear account of their role in minimising the spread of
infection within the service. For instance, if a child were ill staff described how they
would manage this situation, this included ensuring that other children in the service
were not intentionally exposed to infections. This minimised the possibility of them
catching unwanted bugs and germs.
Staff knew how to prevent cross contamination when they prepared food. On the day
of the inspection we observed staff practice as they prepared lunch for the children
and confirmed this to be good.
Healthy eating was promoted throughout the service. The snack available to children
included, fruit, toast, rice cake, fresh water and milk. Staff demonstrated a good
understanding of why it was important to encourage the children to select healthier
options at mealtimes.
Of the 12 Care Standard Questionnaires returned to us before the inspection, 5
parents 'strongly agreed', 6 parents 'agreed' and 1 parent stated 'not applicable' that
the service provided a healthy and well-balanced diet which met their child's dietary
and cultural needs. Comments included:
"It's not an easy decision as parents to leave your children with others outside of
family. We feel very fortunate that our children attend this nursery. The staff have
been very supportive in settling the children in, and provide a very warm, friendly and
inviting environment."
"Having had my children at other nurseries it is a delight to drop my child off. I know
that she is happy and secure."
"The staff are extremely friendly, fair and look after my child, ensuring that he is fed,
watered and given lots of fresh air."
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 14 of 33
Inspection report continued
Areas for improvement
While we were happy with the procedures in place for managing infection control
within the service, we noted that not all staff followed best practice guidance. We
observed that some staff did not wash their hands prior to feeding younger children.
We also observed staff changing a child's nappy, and although staff followed the
correct procedures for changing nappies once the nappy had been changed the
member of staff told the child:
"C'mon let's go wash our hands" which she proceeded to do. When the child asked if
he could wash his hands, the member of staff told him "No you don't need to wash
your hands." We told the Manager that this was a missed opportunity for staff to
further reinforce the importance of minimising the spread of infection within the
service.
See Recommendation 1.
Viewing the medication policy we saw that parents were asked to sign a generic
consent form for their child to be administered over the counter medication. We also
noted that the service was using communal cream and calpol. We told the Manager
that this does not reflect current best practice guidance, and that the policy should be
amended accordingly. The Manager should ensure that all staff are aware of the
updated procedures they should be following.
See Recommendation 2.
Viewing the child protection policy we found that, although it described the preindicators to abuse, it did not have a clear procedure for staff to follow. We told the
Manager that this would need to be amended to reflect this, and that the address and
telephone number for the local social work department should be included in the
updated policy.
See Recommendation 3.
While we found good evidence that staff were highlighting children's developmental
needs, the planning needs to be reviewed to ensure that staff are identifying next
steps for learning and evaluating the children's experiences to ensure they are
meeting their individual needs.
See Recommendation 4.
Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 4
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 15 of 33
Inspection report continued
Recommendations
1. We recommend that the Provider ensures that all staff are familiar with the
procedures in place for managing infection control within the service. National Care
Standards 2 Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - A Safe
Environment.
2. We recommend that the Provider updates their medication policy to reflect current
guidance. National Care Standards 3 Early Education and Childcare up to the age of
16 - Health and Wellbeing.
3. We recommend that the Provider updates their child protection policy and
procedure; once updated this should be shared with staff and parents. National
Care Standards 3 Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - Health and
Wellbeing.
4. We recommend that the Provider reviews the planning systems. To incorporate next
steps for learning and demonstrate how staff are evaluating children's learning.
National Care Standards 4 Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 Engaging with Children.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 16 of 33
Inspection report continued
Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment
Grade awarded for this theme: 4 - Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of the environment within the service.
Service strengths
We found this service was performing well in the areas covered by this statement. We
concluded this after we:
* Spoke to the Manager, Depute Manager and five members of staff.
* We also spoke to parents and children who used this service and viewed relevant
documentation.
We confirmed that staff provided parents and children with good opportunities to
assess and improve the quality of the environment within the service.
Prior to using the service, parents and children were invited in to view the resources,
equipment and premises. This provided parents with opportunities to assess the
environment their child would be using.
Using a child centred approach meant that staff were observing children at play to
identify if the resources and activities met their needs. Staff were responsive to
children's suggestions about the activities they wished to use. This good practice
meant that staff could plan activities which kept children motivated and interested.
The service had established an ECO committee with parents and staff. This enabled
parents to have a significant influence over any changes and improvements to the
service.
Of the 12 Care Standard Questionnaires returned to us before the inspection, 3
parents 'strongly agreed', 5 parents 'agreed', 3 parents stated 'not applicable' and 1
parent stated 'don't know' that staff ask for their child's views about the activities
and outings, and used them to plan future activities. Comments included:
"We are delighted with range of activities provided. our children are always eager to
to go and will happily say goodbye to us. I highly recommend this nursery to family
and friends."
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 17 of 33
Inspection report continued
"Mayfield is a fantastic nursery. My child loves going, I have difficulty trying to get him
to come home."
Areas for improvement
Staff should continue to develop methods for encouraging parents and children to
feedback their ideas and suggestions in relation to the environment.
See Recommendation 1 in Quality Theme 1, Statement 1.
Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 18 of 33
Inspection report continued
Statement 2
We make sure that the environment is safe and service users are protected.
Service strengths
We found this service was performing well in the areas covered by this statement. We
concluded this after we:
* Spoke to the Manager, Depute Manager and five members of staff.
* We also spoke to parents and children who used this service and viewed relevant
documentation.
We confirmed that staff were very good at making sure the environment was safe and
ensuring that children were protected.
Staff promoted children's safety in a variety of ways, for example:
Cleaning schedules indicated that staff were regularly cleaning resources and toys
with appropriate cleaning solutions. This helped to keep the children healthy, because
this prevented the spread of infection within the service.
Regularly checking toys and equipment ensured that children were not playing with
toys which were faulty or broken. This promoted children's safety as the toys they
played with were safe.
The building, which was in a very good state of repair was brightly decorated and an
inviting environment for children to use. Well-presented displays acknowledged the
efforts that the children had made with their pictures and paintings.
The inviting entrance into the service had well-placed notice boards, which kept
parents up-to-date with different things. These contained a variety of useful
information for parents. For example, their sickness policy informed parents of
exclusion periods for specific illnesses. Flyers containing information about children's
dance and movement class, meant that parents were aware of the service's
commitment to promoting children's health through exercise.
The play rooms, which were very well organised provided children with opportunities
to develop independence, because toys and activities were easy to reach,
this encouraged children to make decisions about their preferred choice of activity.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 19 of 33
Inspection report continued
There was a variety of activities to promote children's awareness of their world. For
example they had wormeries to introduce children to nature, a cat and guinea pigs
helped the children to learn how to look after animals. Using the surrounding outdoor
areas provided children with opportunities to go pond dipping with the local ranger
and learn about pond life. Watching the farmer as he farmed the fields helped
children to begin to learn about where some food comes from.
Evidence confirmed that children participated in many initiatives and projects.
Examples included recycling and working towards their Eco status. We saw that staff
encouraged the children to develop an awareness of recycling food waste and paper
as part of the nursery routine. The service had recently achieved its silver award,
which recognised the children's commitment to attaining ECO status.
Children had very good opportunities to participate in active play experiences on a
daily basis. The nursery made very good use of the outdoor space to promote
children's physical development. For instance, they provide large play equipment for
children to practice their motor skills and develop their co-ordination. The service
placed great emphasis on children accessing fresh air on a daily basis. This very good
practice helped to enhance children's all round development.
Of the 12 Care Standard Questionnaires returned to us before the inspection, 10
parents 'strongly agreed' and 2 parents 'agreed' that the service was a safe, secure,
hygienic, smoke free, pleasant and stimulating environment. Comments included:
"Very happy with the nursery. Son always smiles when we go in."
"My child appreciates and enjoys the regular outdoor activities."
"The nursery is clean and has a perfect homely feel to it."
Areas for improvement
Although staff were risk assessing all aspects of the service, we recommend that they
develop specific risk assessments for the following:
• animals
• pond
• tractor
The risk assessments should clearly identify what the individual risks are for each of
these areas, the likelihood of children coming to harm and the procedures staff will
follow to minimise the risks.
See Recommendation 1.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 20 of 33
Inspection report continued
While the service had adopted the very good practice of asking visitors to sign the
visitor's book, there was no policy in place to support this. We recommend that the
Provider develops a policy which explains to staff the procedures they should follow
when visitors enter the building.
Staff demonstrated a very good understanding of how maintenance issues would be
dealt with, however there was no policy and procedure in place to support this . We
recommend that the Provider develops a clear policy and procedures for reporting
maintenance issues. This should be shared with staff to ensure that their practice
reflects this policy .
See Recommendation 2.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 2
Recommendations
1. We recommend that the Provider reviews and further develops the service's risk
assessments. National Care Standards 2 Early Education and Childcare up to the
age of 16 - A Safe Environment.
2. We recommend that the Provider develops policies and procedures for visitors
entering the building and for staff reporting maintenance issues. National Care
Standards 2 Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - A Safe
Environment.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 21 of 33
Inspection report continued
Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing
Grade awarded for this theme: 3 - Adequate
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of staffing in the service.
Service strengths
We found this service was performing well in the areas covered by this statement. We
concluded this after we:
* Spoke to the Manager, Depute Manager and five members of staff.
* We also spoke to parents and children who used this service and viewed relevant
documentation.
We confirmed that staff provided parents and children with good opportunities to
assess and improve the quality of staffing within the service.
There was a parent participation policy, which clearly told parents how they could
contribute to nursery life. This included asking parents to feed back about all aspects
of the service.
We saw that service informed parents of staff changes through newsletters, notices
and chatting with parents. Through discussion, staff demonstrated a good awareness
of why it was important to inform parents about significant events, such as changes
to staff within the play rooms, or when staff left.
The recently completed questionnaire asked for parents' thoughts on the quality of
the staff who worked in the service. The Manager demonstrated a good
understanding of why it was important to get feedback from parents who used the
service.
Of the 12 Care Standard Questionnaires returned to us before the inspection, 8
parents 'strongly agreed' and 4 parents 'agreed' that they felt confident that the staff
had the skills and experience to care for their child and support their learning and
development.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 22 of 33
Inspection report continued
Areas for improvement
We established that the service did not have a complaints policy or procedure, which
it shared with parents. We informed the Manager that the service should develop a
policy and procedure and make it available to all parents.
See Recommendation 1.
Staff should continue to develop methods for encouraging parents and children to
feed back their ideas and suggestions in relation to the quality of staffing within the
service.
See Recommendation 1in Quality Theme 1, Statement 1.
Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good
Number of recommendations: 1
Number of requirements: 0
Recommendations
1. We recommend that the Provider develops a complaints policy and procedure.
National Care Standards 14 Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 Well-Managed Service.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 23 of 33
Inspection report continued
Statement 2
We are confident that our staff have been recruited, and inducted, in a safe and
robust manner to protect service users and staff.
Service strengths
We found adequate evidence to support that the service had recruited, and inducted
staff in a safe and robust manner to protect service users and staff.
Not all aspects of this statement were inspected. Through general discussion with the
Manager, we identified specific areas for improvement relevant to this statement.
These are noted below.
Areas for improvement
Viewing staff files, we identified that on occasion the Provider had not followed their
stated procedures for ensuring that all staff were fit to work with children. Examples
of this included some staff starting in the service without having references in place,
or registration with the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG).
We addressed this immediately and informed the Manager that these members of
staff should not be left unsupervised with children under any circumstance. We
discussed the implications not only for the children being left in this vulnerable
situation, but also the dangers they are exposing the service and staff to. The
Manager agreed to resolve this immediately.
See Requirement 1.
Grade awarded for this statement: 3 - Adequate
Number of requirements: 1
Number of recommendations: 0
Requirements
1. In order to comply with SSI 210 Regulation 9 Fitness of Employees. The Provider
must not employ any person in the provision of a care service unless that person is
fit to be so employed. In order to achieve this the provider:
Is required to ensure that all fitness checks have been undertaken for new
employees before they are recruited. Evidence of these checks must be kept in
staff files to demonstrate that safer recruitment has been followed and that the
person is fit for the role they are being recruited for.
Timescale-Within four weeks of receipt of this report.
This requirement takes account of National Care Standards 12 Early Education and
Childcare up to the age of 16 - Confidence in staff.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 24 of 33
Inspection report continued
Statement 3
We have a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National
Care Standards, legislation and best practice.
Service strengths
We found this service was performing well in the areas covered by this statement. We
concluded this after we:
* Spoke to the Manager, Depute Manager and five members of staff.
* We also spoke to parents who used this service and viewed relevant documentation.
We confirmed that the service had a professional, trained and motivated workforce,
which operated to National Care Standards, legislation and best practice.
Evidence confirmed that the Manager had started to appraise staff's performance.
This informed the overall training plan within the service and ensured that any
training planned would help staff to support children effectively and meet their needs.
Through discussion, staff demonstrated a good knowledge of the children's needs and
gave good examples of how they planned the service to meet those needs.
The effective deployment of staff within the playroom ensured that the children had a
consistent level of care. This also promoted relationships between staff and parents
as they got to know each other very well. This meant that parents felt comfortable
sharing information with staff, which would help them support the children in their
care.
Of the 12 Care Standard Questionnaires returned to us before the inspection, 11
parents 'strongly agreed' and 1 parent 'agreed that they felt confident that the staff
would protect their child from harm, abuse, bullying and neglect.
Areas for improvement
Speaking with staff, we identified that their level of understanding in relation to child
protection varied, and although the Manager stated that a child protection training
course had been organised for staff, we told her that all staff should receive in-house
training, until they undertake the formal course. Staff should be clear about the
differing types of abuse and how they would manage any child protection concerns.
See Recommendation 1.
Discussion with staff highlighted that their knowledge and understanding of the
National Care Standards and the Scottish Social Service Council (SSSC) Codes of
Practice was limited. We discussed this during feedback with the Manager
and emphasised the importance of staff being familiar with the National Care
Standards to inform their practice. In addition, we informed the Manager of the
necessity for staff to have awareness of the Codes of Practice, and consider how they
influence their role as a social service worker.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 25 of 33
Inspection report continued
We identified that although the service had a whistle-blowing policy or procedure in
place, not all staff were familiar with this policy. We informed the Manager that staff
should be provided with training to increase their awareness of how their concerns
will be managed and tell them the procedures they should follow if they need to
report poor practice.
See Recommendation 2.
Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 2
Recommendations
1. We recommend that the Provider ensures that all staff receive appropriate child
protection training. National Care Standards 3 Early Education and Childcare up to
the age of 16 - Health and Wellbeing.
2. We recommend that the Provider ensures that all staff are familiar with the
procedures in place for reporting poor practice within the service National Care
Standards 12 Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 - Confidence in
Staff.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 26 of 33
Inspection report continued
Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership
Grade awarded for this theme: 4 - Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of the management and leadership of the service.
Service strengths
We found this service was performing well in the areas covered by this statement. We
concluded this after we:
* Spoke to the Manager, Depute Manager and five members of staff.
* We also spoke to parents and children who used this service and viewed relevant
documentation.
We confirmed that staff provided parents and children with good opportunities to
assess and improve the quality of management and leadership within the service.
Staff described the management as very approachable and open to any suggestions
made by parents. Parents we spoke to confirmed this. Comments included:
"Know I can pop my head round the door and speak to staff any time I wish."
"Staff very approachable and easy to talk to."
It was evident that the Manager understood the importance of involving parents in all
aspects of the service. She demonstrated a good understanding of how parents and
children's contributions could be used to improve the service.
Of the 12 Care Standard Questionnaires returned to us before the inspection, 10
parents 'strongly agreed' and two parents 'agreed' that the service had involved them
in developing the service, by asking for their ideas and feedback.
Areas for improvement
Staff should continue to develop methods for encouraging parents and children to
feedback their ideas and suggestions in relation to the quality of management and
leadership within the service.
See Recommendation 1in Quality Theme 1, Statement 1
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 27 of 33
Inspection report continued
Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 28 of 33
Inspection report continued
Statement 4
We use quality assurance systems and processes which involve service users, carers,
staff and stakeholders to assess the quality of service we provide
Service strengths
We found this service was performing well in the areas covered by this statement. We
concluded this after we:
* Spoke to the Manager, Depute Manager and five members of staff.
* We also spoke to parents who used this service and viewed relevant documentation.
We confirmed that the service used good quality assurance systems and processes,
which involved children, parents, staff and stakeholders in assessing the quality of the
service provided.
Monthly staff meetings provided opportunities for staff to assess and discuss how
they were going to maintain and improve the service.
There was some evidence within the play rooms that staff were beginning to evaluate
the layout of the rooms to ensure that they were meeting children's needs.
The recently started appraisals provided the management team with opportunities to
discuss practice issues with staff. This meant that staff were working with children in
a manner which was appropriate and kept them safe and protected.
Areas for improvement
Although the Manager stated that they monitored staff's practice, this needs to be
done formally and recorded. This will allow management to highlight good practice,
which can be shared throughout the service and identify areas for practice
improvement. Any training needs arising from this should be included in the training
plan for the following year.
We identified that there was no systems in place for management to evaluate the
overall provision. We informed the Manager that the service should further develop
their quality assurance model. This should also identify how the management team
are monitoring planning and children's individual files.
See Recommenmdation 1
Grade awarded for this statement: 4 - Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 1
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 29 of 33
Inspection report continued
Recommendations
1. We recommend that the Provider establishes a rigorous system for developing
quality assurance within the service. National Care Standards 13 Early Education
and Childcare up to the age of 16 - Improving the Service.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 30 of 33
Inspection report continued
4 Other information
Complaints
No complaints have been upheld, or partially upheld since registration
Enforcements
We have taken no enforcement action against this care service since registration.
Additional Information
Action Plan
Failure to submit an appropriate action plan within the required timescale, including
any agreed extension, where requirements and recommendations have been made,
will result in SCSWIS re-grading the Quality Statement within the Management and
Leadership Theme as unsatisfactory (1). This will result in the Quality Theme for
Management and Leadership being re-graded as Unsatisfactory (1).
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 31 of 33
Inspection report continued
5 Summary of grades
Quality of Care and Support - 4 - Good
Statement 1
4 - Good
Statement 3
4 - Good
Quality of Environment - 4 - Good
Statement 1
4 - Good
Statement 2
5 - Very Good
Quality of Staffing - 3 - Adequate
Statement 1
4 - Good
Statement 2
3 - Adequate
Statement 3
4 - Good
Quality of Management and Leadership - 4 - Good
Statement 1
4 - Good
Statement 4
4 - Good
6 Inspection and grading history
All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former
regulator of care services, the Care Commission.
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 32 of 33
Inspection report continued
To find out more about our inspections and inspection reports
Read our leaflet 'How we inspect'. You can download it from our website or ask us to
send you a copy by telephoning us on 0845 600 9527.
This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can get more copies
of this report and others by downloading it from our website:
www.careinspectorate.com or by telephoning 0845 600 9527.
Translations and alternative formats
This inspection report is available in other languages and formats on request.
Telephone: 0845 600 9527
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.careinspectorate.com
Mayfield Playfield Nursery Limited, page 33 of 33