Improving picture for Thor House care facility in Thurso
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A service providing care for children with learning disabilities, additional or complex needs has made a number of improvements inspectors have said.
The Care Inspectorate carried out an unannounced inspection of Thor House in Provost Cormack Drive, Thurso on June 13 and rated it “good” for its support of children and young people’s rights and wellbeing.
It was given a grade four, on a scale of 1-6, where six is best.
A more detailed breakdown of this rating saw it awarded a five (very good) specifically in terms of how it made young people feel safe and loved and helped them “get the most out of life”.
Inspectors said: “Whilst some improvements were needed, the strengths identified had a significant positive impact on children and young people’s experiences.“We found that the manager was pro-active in recognising the risks for young people, and seeking further support from external agencies.
“There was clear evidence that the staff had been working hard to engage with young people to help them work through any worries or anxieties that they had. We found this had led to young people feeling safe and positive outcomes.
“The service had built up a good relationship with Who Cares (independent advocacy) who visited several times a month. The young people appeared to have built up a good relationship with them and knew they could ask them for support.
“We did not find any instances of bullying within the house, and were assured that if this did arise young people would be supported appropriately.”
They added: “The new manager had worked hard to embed a therapeutic approach in the house. We found that the majority of staff were confident in this approach and gave clear examples of how they implemented this in daily practice.
“We also observed some lovely interactions where staff supported young people to reflect on their day and support them through any difficulties they had.
“Young people told us: ‘The staff are really good.’
“The staff team were also impressed at the level of knowledge the new manager had of the young people and how this was helpful in supporting staff when they needed. There had also been consideration given to the need to have regular staff who were there consistently to build strong relationships.
“This allowed young people to thrive and achieve positive outcomes.”
Inspectors praised the facility – which provides support for up to four young people at a time – for its “lovely homely feel” and said: “The staff were committed to supporting the young people with their future goals and had took great pride in sharing the achievements they had recently made. This allowed young people to feel that Thor House was their home and build trust in those who were caring for them.”
While this time round inspectors said the home had to develop better quality assurance systems, they also found that a number of areas for improvement identified during a previous inspection had now all been achieved.
These included the development of individual care plans and ensuring the availability of wi-fi in the home for young people.
