Inspectors visiting a north nursery warned the way staff handled medication risked “significant harm”.
Privately-run Playpen Nursery, next to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, has three playrooms.
It can provide care for a maximum of 37 children and registered with the Care Inspectorate since 2011.
Officials completed their unannounced inspection on October and rated its quality of care, environment and staff as “weak.”
An effective system to audit medication was not in place. The lack of effective
systems had the potential to result in significant harm.”Care Inspectorate report on Playpen Nursery
The nursery’s leadership and management was also graded “unsatisfactory” in the watchdog’s six-point scale.
It has been ordered to make improvements in the way it handles children’s medication and the report said it was “not safely handled”.
The findings are among the latest Care Inspectorate reports to be issued for nurseries across the north and north-east.
Despite the negative report, parents of children attending the nursery heaped praise on the facility.
They told the Care Inspectorate that Playpen Nursery was “warm and welcoming” and “my child loves going in”.
Other comments included: “My little one is always clean and happy when I pick her up and always walks in confidently at drop off.”
‘Significant harm’ warning
However, inspectors say the nursery must improve the way it deals with medication.
They warned that clear plans detailing the needs of children were not in place and the lack of an audit system for medication could have led to “significant harm”.
The Care Inspectorate report said: “Medication was not safely managed in the service. Clear plans detailing children’s health needs were not in place, written parental consent to administer medication was not stored with medication.
“This meant there was the potential for inconsistencies and a lack of understanding regarding the health needs of the children, this placed children at risk.
“An effective system to audit medication was not in place. The lack of effective
systems had the potential to result in significant harm.”
The Care Inspectorate also recommended that the nursery improve lunchtime for children. They said some staff were “too focused on tasks” to support youngsters who needed help.
Another recommendation focused on updating children’s personal plans.
Better toys and more staff training
The watchdog said the nursery should allow children to independently play after discovering their outdoor access was limited.
It also recommends the nursery improve the toys available to children after finding what it described as a “reliance on plastic” which hampered the youngster’s ability to be creative.
The inspector also said that playrooms at the nursery lacked homely touches and did not feel warm and welcoming.”
The report said: “Rooms appeared functional and did not support children to develop their natural creativity, curiosity, and learning.
“Children’s access to cosy spaces with soft furnishings and the quiet area was restricted at times due to children sleeping.”
A further recommendation was made to improve staff training.
‘Unsatisfactory’ management highlighted
The Care Inspectorate made two further recommendations for Playpen nursery. The watchdog demanded the nursery put a monitoring programme in place.
Bosses at the nursery must make sure children have “high quality experiences” and that at all times suitably qualified staff are working in the nursery.
The report said: “We found that there were major weaknesses in critical aspects of performance which require immediate remedial action to improve experiences and outcomes.
“Therefore, the quality of management and leadership has been evaluated as unsatisfactory.
“Children did not benefit from a service that was well managed which resulted in poor outcomes.
“There was ineffective quality assurance in place. Limited monitoring had resulted in poor practice, inconsistencies with storage of medication, issues with mealtimes and the poor environment not being identified and addressed.”
Rhona MacGregor, who runs Playpen nursery, refused to comment on the report when approached by the Press and Journal.
More from the Schools and Family team
EIS teacher Covid survey: Calls for masks to stay in schools over winter
Suspected Omicron case in Inverness primary school
Anger amid claims Aberdeenshire Council are ‘downgrading’ librarians’ role
