Royal Blind School - Canaan Campus
School Care Accommodation Service
The Royal Blind School
Canaan Lane Campus
43-45 Canaan Lane
Edinburgh
EH10 4SG
Telephone: 0131446 3120
Inspected by: Shelagh McDougall
Type of inspection: Unannounced
Inspection completed on: 26 October 2012
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Contents
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Page No
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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:
Royal Blind Asylum and School
Service provider number:
SP2003002572
Care service number:
CS2003010898
Contact details for the inspector who inspected this service:
Shelagh McDougall
Telephone
Email [email protected]
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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 5
Very Good
Quality of Environment 5
Very Good
Quality of Staffing 5
Very Good
Quality of Management and Leadership 5
Very Good
What the service does well
The Royal Blind School provided a very high quality service for children and young
people. They were good at making sure that children and young people's wishes were
known, including those who needed help with communicating. Staff were warm and
friendly to the children and young people, and made sure that they enjoyed their time
at the Royal Blind School.
What the service could do better
The service needed to make sure that information held was kept up to date. They
needed to continue to find ways to ask parents for their views about the service and
use these in planning improvements.
What the service has done since the last inspection
Since the last inspection, the service had worked on the way they recorded incidents
to make it easier to identify where these had happened. They also confirmed which
actions needed to be taken as a result, and who needed to do this. They were
continuing to work toward integrating Craigmillar Campus and Canaan Lane Campus.
Conclusion
The Royal Blind School continued to provide a high quality service where children and
young people were happy. They provided a wide range of opportunities for children
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and young people, to help them experience as much from their time there as
possible.
Who did this inspection
Shelagh McDougall
Lay assessor: Ms Jenny Reaves
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1 About the service we inspected
The Royal Blind School is an independent, grant-aided, charity based organisation
which is overseen by a Board of Governors.
The Royal Blind School provides care for up to 81 young people. All have a visual
impairment or a visual impairment and additional physical impairment and/or
learning disabilities.
The School is situated within two campuses, Craigmillar Park and Canaan Lane.
Canaan Lane is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of 26 children with
multiple disability and visual impairment, aged between 5 and 19 years, operating
during term time. Craigmillar Campus is registered to provide a care service to a
maximum of 55 children with multiple disability and visual impairment, aged between
5 and 19 years. Previously, each campus was registered separately with the Care
Inspectorate. Since the last inspection, the service had moved to one registration for
both sites, and were moving toward the service being provided from Canaan Campus
from 2014.
Children and young people live in the residential units full time, during the school
week, part time or on a respite basis.
At Canaan Lane Campus residential accommodation is provided within three well
equipped and spacious units, Jura (respite care), Gigha and Canna. At Craigmillar
Campus, residential accommodation is provided in three units. Two of the three,
Drever and the Hostel, are located within houses adjacent to the main building. The
third unit, Islay, is situated in the main school building.
Both Canaan Lane Campus and Craigmillar Campus are situated within residential
areas of the City of Edinburgh and have good access to public transport and local
amenities.
The Royal Blind School's statement of purpose and function states that "all young
people, regardless of their age and gender, who live away from home are provided
with a clear sense that their emotional needs are cared for. All young people,
regardless of disability, should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions that ensure
safety and dignity, promote choice, and self reliance including their integration and
participation in the larger community. All care should be planned, appropriate in
design, achievable and effective in it's delivery. Care must be based on the unique
needs of the individual young person, embracing their ethnicity, language, culture and
faith."
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Based on the findings of this inspection this service has been awarded the following
grades:
Quality of Care and Support - Grade 5 - Very Good
Quality of Environment - Grade 5 - Very Good
Quality of Staffing - Grade 5 - Very Good
Quality of Management and Leadership - Grade 5 - Very 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.
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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
This unannounced inspection took place between Wednesday, 24 October 2012 and
Thursday, 25 October 2012. The inspection was carried out by Shelagh McDougall,
with our Lay Inspector Jenny Reeves. We gave feedback to the service on 26 October
2012.
During the inspection we met with children and young people, both informally over
mealtimes and in their houses. For some young people we asked staff to help us
understand the children and young people's views. We met with parents and social
workers attending a review during the inspection.
We spoke with the Principal, the Head of Care, a Depute Head of Care, and the
Lead Nurse.
We spoke with Senior Care Staff, Care Staff and Ancillary Staff during the inspection
and looked at policies and records held, including:
•
•
•
•
4 young people's files
incident records
minutes of meetings
evidence folders in the houses
We looked at the premises and observed the interactions between staff and children
and young people throughout the inspection.
We took all of the above evidence into consideration when writing this report. We also
took into account the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and associated
statutory instruments, The National Care Standards for school care accommodation
services, and the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Codes of Practice for Social
Service Workers and Employers.
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In the weeks following the inspection we consulted with parents/carers and social
workers from the placing authorities. Their views are included in the body of the
report.
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
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
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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: Yes - Electronic
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.
We received a completed self assessment from the service before the inspection took
place. In this they had identified where they thought they showed strengths as well
as some areas where they thought they could make improvements.
Taking the views of people using the care service into account
Children/young people we spoke with, and those we observed who did not
communicate verbally, were relaxed and confident in their interactions with staff.
They were generally very happy with the service and some told us they "really liked
being at the Royal Blind School". Comments included :
"Staff are brilliant."
"The hostel is the best place to be."
"The food is much better now. We get to have things we choose at tea time like
cheesy potatoes."
"I like being here with all my pals."
"There's lots of activities you can do. In fact I've had to give some up as I was too
busy."
We issued 47 Care Standards Questionnaires (CSQs) to children/young people before
we did the inspection. 26 were completed and returned. 14 strongly agreed, and 11
agreed with the statement " Overall, I am happy with the quality of care I get here."
Other comments included :
"****** loves his school and his residential area, and the staff are fantastic if a little
stretched."
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"I am worried about moving to Canaan as there is nowhere to play outside. How will
we get to the pool? Where will my Mum park?"
Taking carers' views into account
We spoke with four parents/carers during the inspection and afterwards by phone.
Generally they were very happy with the service.
Comments were mainly positive and included :
"Staff really know our son. They anticipate the moves he may make and take
appropriate action."
"Staff take on board our suggestions."
"Staff are open and very good at communicating about our child."
"Meetings about are child are open and everyone contributes."
"There was an issue with agency staff not understanding that while our child was
very sociable at night, he needed his sleep. They needed better guidance about the
way they should manage this."
"I think the school want to consult us but they don't really want to hear what we
have to say."
"Senior staff should have more of an overview so that they check that staff are
following the care plan correctly, particularly after swimming."
"I feel it's a bit of 'them and us' with senior managers."
"There's too many times staff are moved to cover absence in other units - it used to
be much more consistent."
"I feel very lucky that my son is at the Royal Blind School."
"I realise how much my son has benefited from being at the school, he has really
progressed."
"Staff in my son's house are phenomenal."
"The keyworker is there for the whole family. They support us all."
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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: 5 - Very 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 that the Royal Blind School had very good systems in place to make sure
that children and young people's views were routinely asked for. We saw that
Managers then took account of these views in planning improvements for the service.
We concluded this after discussions with the children/young people, staff, the
Manager, parents, and social workers, and from reviewing records. We saw evidence
that:• Parent/carers, children/young people and social workers were given good
information about the service before a child/young person was placed at the
Royal Blind School. Before a child/young person was offered a place at the
Royal Blind School, staff visited them to assess whether the Royal Blind School
could offer them a placement which would meet their needs. Where possible,
the child/young person and their parents/carers visited the school, and could
have an overnight stay to help them decide if this was where they wanted the
child/young person to be. Through these strategies it meant that all knew
what the service could provide, and were then in a better position to assess
whether their experience matched expectations.
• Each child/young person had a care plan outlining the way that staff were
going to meet the child/young person's care needs. These were reviewed
regularly which provided an opportunity for the child/young person, their
parent/carer and also their social worker to make suggestions or comments
about the service provided.
• Each child/young person was allocated a keyworker. This was a member of
staff who attended any meetings with them (like reviews, or Hearings of the
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•
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•
•
•
•
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Children's Panel); had responsibility for keeping in touch with the family and
any workers such as Social Workers, or health professionals involved in the
child/young person's care; worked individually with the young person to help
them develop their skills; identified where they may need more support and
made sure this happened; provided support and encouragement, and linked
with teaching staff to support the child/young person's education.
Keyworkers arranged to meet regularly with the child/young person to work
through areas of support identified in their care plan. This meant the child/
young person had an opportunity to pass on their views directly to their
keyworker. Where the child/young person used non-verbal communication, or
was not confident in expressing their views, keyworkers developed skills in
interpreting the signs or indications that their keychild was happy or not, and
advocated on their behalf.
Staff at both campuses arranged meetings for the young people, using a
range of methods to provide ways for the children/young people to pass on
their views. 'Participation' was now a standing item on the agenda for all
meetings., so that staff routinely discussed and considered the views of
children/young people and their parents/carers. We made a recommendation
about this at our last inspection and assessed that this was now met.
A Parent's Consultative group had been formed some years ago and provided
another opportunity for parents/carers to pass on their views.
Formal systems such as the Pupil Council, Food Committee and young
people's meetings with the Head of Care were in place and used by children/
young people to pass on their views. They told us they were confident in
telling staff what they thought, and that this could lead to changes being
made as a result.
Parents and social workers we spoke with confirmed that staff kept them
updated with the child/young person's progress, as well as any events,
incidents or changes in their routines. They also said that staff made sure that
they were informed promptly about any meetings planned to discuss the
child/young person's care, which allowed them to make arrangements to
attend. One parent commented " My son's keyworkers have been amazing,
really superb. They are on the phone, or email, with any good news or
highlights, as well as if anything happens".
The school had several events throughout the year, to which parents/carers
attended (such as Christmas concerts and open days). These were informal,
helping parents/carers to get to know staff better and possibly meet
members of the board. They were encouraged to pass on any suggestions.
Issues raised through consultation with children/young people, and parents/
carers were discussed at staff meetings and managers meetings, providing a
route for these views to have an impact on planning improvements.
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Areas for improvement
The school needed to look at ways that they could consult more with parents/carers.
While the Parent's Consultative group was in place, it was not as widely used as it
might be. The school could develop this and introduce other opportunities for
consultation. They planned to continue to work on 'The Little Things' (discussed in
the previous report) which followed from a presentation made by a parent at a staff
training day. This highlighted how listening to families' feedback and making changes
as a result, even about small changes, could make a big difference to the outcome for
the child or the parent/carer. They intended to develop the 'key team' (Keyworker
and teacher) linking care and education for each child/young person.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
Statement 3
We ensure that service users' health and wellbeing needs are met.
Service strengths
We found that the service was performing well in the areas covered by this statement.
We concluded this after talking with staff, children/young people, the Lead Nurse,
and looking at records held. We also saw the way that staff interacted with children/
young people during the inspection. Some of the evidence included:• Children/young people's health needs were identified clearly in their care
plans. Staff were knowledgeable about children/young people's medical
conditions, and the resulting implications for their care.
• There were good links between care and nursing staff, as well as with other
health professionals involved with the children/young people. Effective
systems were in place to make sure that all staff were kept updated about any
changes to the medical care for the children/young people.
• Systems for storing, administering and recording medication given worked
well. These were checked routinely to make sure that they were right. Staff
knew the times that children/young people needed their medication and
planned ahead so that the children/young people's medicine regimes did not
restrict their enjoyment of activities, as far as possible.
• Staff had built up very positive relationships with children/young people,
providing a warm and happy atmosphere. We saw that children/young people
were spoken to with respect and were treated as individuals.
• Our Lay Inspector commented "At Canaan Lane Campus, place-mats were
provided in the dining room for each child/young person who needed help
with their meals. These included advice on how the young person liked to be
seated and the position they liked to eat from; the type of food and drink they
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•
•
•
•
•
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needed was listed; (for example mashed, or finger food) and a reminder to
give only a small drink as these could be too heavy to be held. Carers were
reminded to allow the young person to smell the food they were to eat and to
tell them what it was. Specific support cutlery that the young person needed
to enable them to feed as independently as possible was listed. There was
also advice on how the young person communicated, and skills that they
needed to practice. A list of vocabulary was included for each young person
together with any Key Points that carers needed to know such as food likes
and dislikes.
The dining room at Craigmillar Campus had been rearranged following
consultation with Speech and Language Therapists, in order to provide the
best conditions for individual young people's eating.
A wide range of healthy and nutritious meals were provided, taking account of
each individual's dietary needs.
Staff ensured that children/young people had regular access to fresh air and
energetic activities such as Samba Band, swimming or judo. We saw that
appropriate physical activities were provided to suit each child/young
person's needs and abilities.
An updated Infection Control Policy was about to be implemented at the time
of the inspection.
Where children/young people needed help and guidance to manage their
behaviour, strategies were in place. We found that staff knew what these
were, which allowed for a consistent approach.
We saw that young people who were moving on from the service were offered
support and guidance to help them, and their parents/carers, choose the
most appropriate service for their needs. We saw that planning began in good
time, and social workers we spoke with confirmed that their views were
routinely sought during the transition process.
Areas for improvement
While Risk Assessments were in place for each child/young person, these did not
contain some of the detail that was known to some staff. We discussed the need to
ensure that the Risk Assessments identified known risks, as well as the actions staff
should take to minimise their impact. Some information held in Care Plans was found
to be out of date. The service needed to make sure that all information and contact
details were accurate, to ensure that care plans were effective and communication
was not hindered by inaccurate contact details.
A parent we spoke with had concerns that pieces of equipment for her child's
wheelchair had not been attached which had resulted in discomfort. The service
needed to make sure that all staff followed the guidance for young people's
equipment laid out in care plans.
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Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Quality Theme 2: Quality of Environment
Grade awarded for this theme: 5 - Very 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
Evidence found in Quality Theme 1, Statement 1 also applied to this statement. We
found that the service used the same processes to consult children/young people and
parents/carers about the environment.
Our Lay Assessor visited Canaan Lane and said "Canaan Lane is a purpose built
facility and the environment was therefore extremely good. Wide corridors made
wheelchair access easy and hoists and other support devices seemed to be provided
wherever they were needed, for example in the changing room of the hydrotherapy
pool. The site benefited from a hydrotherapy pool, sensory room and sensory garden
and it was obvious that these facilities were well used and much appreciated. Each
residential unit had a comfortable sitting room and a well-equipped kitchen and
adjacent dining room. Young people had their own rooms and were able to decorate
these to their own taste. There were regular young people's meetings in each unit
and suggestions were taken forward and acted upon. For example a new TV set was
being installed at the request of the young people in one unit and they had provided
photographic evidence of the faults on the previous set via their mobile phones."
Areas for improvement
Areas for improvement identified in Quality Theme 1, Statement 1 also applied to this
statement.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
Statement 2
We make sure that the environment is safe and service users are protected.
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Service strengths
We found that the Royal Blind School had very good systems in place to make sure
that children/young people were cared for safely. We concluded this after discussions
with staff, children/young people, managers and parents/carers. We looked at
records held on incidents, accidents and child and adult support and protection.
Some of the evidence we saw included:• The residential houses were securely locked, and staff were aware of any
visitors to the premises. Some of the older young people had key fobs to give
them independent access, based on an assessment of their abilities and risks.
• Staff carried out risk assessments for the premises and made sure that any
repairs were reported so that they could be carried out in good time. A range
of health and safety checks were carried out in accordance with best practice
guidance and legislation.(for example Fire Safety, electrical appliance checks
and Legionella checks).
• Through building up positive and trusting relationships with staff, especially
their keyworker, children/young people were more likely to pass on any
concerns about their safety and well being. We saw that staff advocated on
the behalf of children/young people routinely.
• Staff were trained in the best way to calm situations where young people
were agitated, upset or angry, and the techniques for holding safely if this
was necessary. They had regular updates to this training, which was known as
MAST (Management of Aggression Strategies and Tactics). We saw that the
way that incidents were recorded had been reviewed to include a summary
front sheet, more details of the incident, identifying whether the incident
raised child protection concerns, which had been considered by the Principal,
whether the Risk Assessment needed to be updated and any subsequent
actions required. It outlined any de-briefing, and confirmed that parents/
carers had been informed, when and by whom.
• An updated Child and Adult Support and Protection policy was in place. Staff
confirmed that they had updated training on Child and Adult Support and
Protection and knew the actions they should take if they had any concerns.
They said that they felt well supported by senior staff and would be confident
to ask for guidance from them if they were unsure about any part of the
child/adult protection procedures.
Areas for improvement
The service should continue to develop the very good practice which we saw at this
inspection. As we discussed in Quality Theme 1, Statement 3, they needed to make
sure Risk Assessments for children/young people were detailed and up to date, and
that information held regarding contacts was up to date. The procedures for recording
incidents and de-briefing had recently been introduced. We made a recommendation
about this at our last inspection. While we assessed that this had been met, we will
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continue to monitor progress on the implementation of the processes at our next
inspection.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Quality Theme 3: Quality of Staffing
Grade awarded for this theme: 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
We ensure that service users and carers participate in assessing and improving the
quality of staffing in the service.
Service strengths
Evidence found in Quality Theme 1, Statement 1 also applied to this statement. We
found that the service used the same processes to consult young people about
staffing.
Areas for improvement
Areas for improvement identified in Quality Theme 1, Statement 1 also applied to this
statement. We made a recommendation at the previous inspection about children/
young people's involvement in recruitment. The service had not been in a position to
recruit staff since our last inspection and we will carry this recommendation forward
to our next inspection.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 1
Recommendations
1. The school should identify ways in which children, young people and their parents/
carers can be further involved in staff recruitment, staff training and development,
and service promotion. The Parent's Consultative group should be consulted
regarding this.
National Care Standards for schoolcare accommodation : Standard 7 - Management
and Staffing and Standard 10 - Contributing to your care
Statement 3
We have a professional, trained and motivated workforce which operates to National
Care Standards, legislation and best practice.
Service strengths
We found that the service was performing well in the areas covered by this statement.
The Royal Blind School continued to use safe recruitment practices for new staff and
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ensured they were appropriately qualified or working toward qualification. All care
staff were expected to register with the SSSC. In order to register, all staff were
expected to achieve their Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) 3 and Higher
National Certificate (HNC) by the end of their third year of employment. All staff were
registered, for whom this was required. Evidence we found included :• staff confirmed that they had regular supervision and annual appraisal. These
provided opportunities to discuss their practice and identify any training which
might enhance their professional development or improve their practice.
• Staff met daily at change over, and weekly at staff meetings, which allowed
them to keep updated about changes to children/young people's care plans
and any changes to procedures. They also were given information from
Managers by email, to ensure that those staff who were not on shift had the
means to be kept up to date.
• Staff were very enthusiastic about their work, and showed a strong
commitment to providing the best possible care for the children/young
people. They knew about best practice guidance in the work they carried out,
and relevant legislation.
• Where staff were provided by an agency, we saw that the service were
provided with confirmation of their PVG checks (Protection of Vulnerable
Groups) and qualifications they held.
• At the last inspection we made a recommendation about supporting the
delegation of responsibility and overview of key pieces of work to individuals
and sub groups within the staff team. We discussed progress made on this.
Staff confirmed that they had taken up individual pieces of work and took on
additional responsibilities.
Areas for improvement
The service should continue to develop the very good practice which we saw at this
inspection. They will need to show they can sustain this very good practice in order to
maintain this grade. We found that, as may be expected, staff at Craigmillar Park
Campus were anxious about the future of the service as they moved toward the
closure of the main school building at Craigmillar Park. The Manager and senior staff
were aware of their concerns and we discussed the need to continue to offer
additional support through the process of change.
While we saw that progress had been made on the previous recommendation
regarding delegation of responsibilities, we will continue to monitor progress on this
at our next inspection.
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Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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Quality Theme 4: Quality of Management and Leadership
Grade awarded for this theme: 5 - Very 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
Evidence found in Quality Theme 1 Statement 1 also applied to this statement.We
found that the service used the same processes to consult with children/young
people, and their parents/carers, about the management of the service.
Areas for improvement
Areas for improvement identified in Quality Theme 1 Statement 1 also applied to this
statement. They will need to show they can sustain this very good practice in order to
maintain this grade.
Two parents we spoke with commented that while they had very regular contact with
staff involved in the care of their child, they had little or no contact with senior
managers or the Principal. They did not feel that they could approach members of the
board through any of the channels outlined in Quality Theme 1 Statement 1. The
service should continue to look at ways that this can be resolved.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
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
Some of the evidence we discussed in Quality Theme 1 Statement 1 also applied to
this statement. In that statement we identified a range of ways that children/young
people and their parents/carers could pass on their views. Other people who were
involved with the service were known as stakeholders. These could include social
workers, local authority commissioning services, health professional involved with the
children/young people and other services offering support to them. We saw that the
service had very good systems of quality assurance, some of which involved
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stakeholders, staff, children/young people and parents/carers. Some of these
included:
• A school improvement plan and business plan were in place. These outlined
areas for improvement, lead responsibilities and timescales for assessing and
evaluating these.
• Systems of overview from the senior managers, and from the Board of
Governors were in place. Children/young people attended some of these
meetings.
• The service regularly held open days and professionals days, where they
encouraged questions and sought feedback.
• Senior Managers in all parts of the service met weekly and checked progress
on the service's improvements. Records of these meetings were on the school
intranet (on the computer) so that all staff could keep updated.
• Board members had increased the contact they had with day to day routines
in the school. For example, the Practice Assessor for some of the staff
undertaking their SVQs was a board member.
Areas for improvement
The service should continue to develop the very good practice which we saw at this
inspection. They will need to show they can sustain this very good practice in order to
maintain this grade, and continue to develop the involvement of children/young
people, parents/carers and stakeholders in their quality assurance processes.
Staff, young people and parents/carers all spoke with us about their concerns that
due to staff absences at Craigmillar Campus, other staff were covering in different
units. The impact of this was that some planned activities in the original unit were
not able to go ahead, and staff were not able to provide the consistency of care that
young people expected. While it was acknowledged that the situation was sometimes
unavoidable, Managers should look at contingencies so that planned contacts and
activities could go ahead as much as possible.
Grade awarded for this statement: 5 - Very Good
Number of requirements: 0
Number of recommendations: 0
Royal Blind School - Canaan Campus, page 23 of 27
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4 Other information
Complaints
No complaints have been upheld, or partially upheld, since the last inspection.
Enforcements
We have taken no enforcement action against this care service since the last
inspection.
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).
Royal Blind School - Canaan Campus, page 24 of 27
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5 Summary of grades
Quality of Care and Support - 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 3
5 - Very Good
Quality of Environment - 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 2
5 - Very Good
Quality of Staffing - 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 3
5 - Very Good
Quality of Management and Leadership - 5 - Very Good
Statement 1
5 - Very Good
Statement 4
5 - Very Good
6 Inspection and grading history
Date
Type
Gradings
20 Feb 2013
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
5 - Very Good
5 - Very Good
5 - Very Good
5 - Very Good
20 Feb 2012
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
5 - Very Good
Not Assessed
5 - Very Good
Not Assessed
6 Sep 2011
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
5 - Very Good
5 - Very Good
Not Assessed
Not Assessed
Royal Blind School - Canaan Campus, page 25 of 27
Inspection report continued
19 Jan 2011
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
5 - Very Good
Not Assessed
Not Assessed
Not Assessed
2 Sep 2010
Announced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
5 - Very Good
5 - Very Good
Not Assessed
Not Assessed
28 Jan 2010
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
5 - Very Good
Not Assessed
5 - Very Good
Not Assessed
3 Dec 2009
Announced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
5 - Very Good
Not Assessed
5 - Very Good
Not Assessed
13 Mar 2009
Unannounced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
Not Assessed
Not Assessed
4 - Good
4 - Good
27 Oct 2008
Announced
Care and support
Environment
Staffing
Management and Leadership
4 - Good
5 - Very Good
4 - Good
4 - Good
All inspections and grades before 1 April 2011 are those reported by the former
regulator of care services, the Care Commission.
Royal Blind School - Canaan Campus, page 26 of 27
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
Royal Blind School - Canaan Campus, page 27 of 27