A residential school has been ordered to make “urgent” improvements to ensure the safety and protection of young people.
Troup House School, in Gamrie, near Banff, must meet six improvements within the next two weeks or it will risk losing its registration.
The improvement notice was sent to the service two weeks ago following an “unsatisfactory” Care Inspectorate inspection and a letter of serious concern being issued.
The unannounced inspection took place between March 13 and 31 during which inspectors found “significant weaknesses” which compromised service users’ safety.
The service is provided by Aspris Ltd who have said they are “working tirelessly” to make the improvements as soon as possible.
Errors with medication
By May 12, school staff must review all child and adult protection procedures to ensure training is in place and that all safeguarding concerns are reported appropriately.
During their visit, inspectors discovered some information regarding protection concerns had not been shared with children’s social workers, or specific details had been withheld.
The second improvement is in relation to the safe administration and recording of medication, which includes carrying out a full investigation into all medication errors between March 1 and 28 of this year.
The report states: “There was instances where medication had been administered twice, not recorded accurately and potentially missing medication. These instances involved controlled medication.
“We observed there to be a lack of knowledge around the recording methods and information needed to ensure safe administration.”
Staffing concerns
Inspectors raised concerns about “inconsistent” staffing levels which were not found to be sufficient enough to ensure safety.
Further concerns were highlighted in the report about employment of staff with unexplained gaps in their work and worries shared in their professional references.
They added this led to young people being placed at risk.
By May 12, the residential school must also ensure there is sufficient staff to meet the needs of the people using the service at all times.
Further, it was noted that the staff at Troup House School did not have an “understanding of trauma” and the impact it can have on young people.
The report adds: “We found this at times led to consequences being issued which were impacting on their rights, wellbeing and not in line with ‘The Promise.’ Young people told us ‘some of the rules are really unfair’.
“These were not recorded consistently which caused us further concern. We recognised this was not supportive in helping young people understand their trauma, and at times impacted on their emotional health.”
Delivering the ‘best standard’
The final two improvements refer to the handling of incidents within the service which they must ensure are recorded and reviewed accurately.
A spokesman for Troup House said: “We take the Care Inspectorate’s findings very seriously and are working tirelessly to deliver the required improvements at Troup House as swiftly as possible.
“The implementation of a comprehensive action plan addressing all the areas of concern is nearing completion, and we remain in regular contact with the Care Inspectorate and other key stakeholders to communicate the progress being made.
“We are committed to delivering the very best standard of support to those entrusted into our care, and to learning from this to ensure these issues are not repeated in the future.”
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