'Unclean' Edinburgh Gaelic nursery criticised over medication and infection control failings

A Gaelic-language nursery in Edinburgh has been criticised over poor medication, cleanliness and infection control standards.

Òganan Dhùn Èideann in Leith provides early learning and childcare, sharing a site with the primary school Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce. The Bonnington Road nursery was visited by the Care Inspectorate on January 22 and 23.

Inspectors judged the service to be 'weak' across four categories related to standards of care, setting, staff and leadership. While they noted the 'caring' nature of staff and positive feedback from parents, quality was found to be slipping in several areas.

In a report published following the inspection, the play areas were described as being 'neglected' and 'in need of refurbishment'. 'Flaking paint on walls' was spotted as well as 'dirt and paint splashes' on walls and radiators.

A lack of good handwashing practice and the general unclean state of the nursery led inspectors to highlight infection risks. "Designated sinks were available for handwashing, but were not used solely for that purpose and there was no soap available", the report reads.

"This created a risk of cross contamination. The environment and resources appeared unclean, and staff were unclear on how to manage laundry.

"Bathroom extractor fans were clogged and needed cleaned. The storage for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and potties/portable toilet seats within toilet and changing areas, was not in line with best practice guidance."

It adds: "Maintenance issues were reported to the facilities manager. Staff told us that, overall, repairs were dealt with quickly.

"However, we identified some maintenance issues that posed significant IPC risks as detailed within this report. This meant the approach to maintaining the environment was inconsistent, and children did not benefit from a well-maintained environment."

Meanwhile, inspectors noticed that on certain occasions in which children were upset, staff failed to 'appropriately comfort' or 'reassure' them. Medication management was also identified as an issue.

The document continues: "We were concerned about management of medication. Important information, such as the signs and symptoms that would lead to the administration of medication, was not always recorded and some consent forms were not in place.

"Emergency medication for the out of school care service was stored a distance from the rooms where children were being cared for. This put children at risk."

Also highlighted was an episode in which children arrived to an out-of-school club but found no staff there to greet or supervise them. This was also said to have put youngsters 'at risk'.

The report states that the knowledge of employees needed to be improved. "While the manager had employed some staff with transferable skills, there was a significant number of staff who did not have a robust knowledge of children's learning and development", it reads.

"Some staff were still in training to achieve their required qualification, while some were recently qualified. This meant that children were not always supported by a skilled and experienced staff team."

A spokeswoman for the nursery said: "We are disheartened following the feedback and published report from the care inspectorate. We work hard to provide a high standard of care to all our children and we continually invest in our team and training.

"We have a detailed action plan in place, in which we have addressed the areas outlined in the report. We continue to improve our practice to support the children and families at our setting.

"We love what we do and look forward to a really positive outcome at our next inspection."