Care Home Manager Works Turnaround Magic At Grandholm
Families, relatives and employees of Grandholm care home in Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, are celebrating after receiving an impressive report from the Care Inspectorate following their most recent inspection in July.
The care home has improved its rating from ‘Adequate’ to ‘Good’ and ‘Very Good’ in the space of just eighteen months.
The impressive turn-around is an outcome of the home’s improvement plan which was implemented and embedded by the home’s Service Manager, Val Buchan who was appointed in January 2018 with a focus on improving quality in the home.
Val was aware that taking on such a role was a challenge in itself, but with vision and an empowered team, she knew she could achieve what she wanted when she very first stepped into the home.
Her hard work has paid off, with inspectors commenting that “the service is providing very good leadership. This means that the service demonstrates major strengths in supporting positive outcomes for people.”
Families have also praised the good work of the home, stating that there has been a significant improvement in the quality of care provided and meeting the needs of each individual. With one relative commenting “It is really good here. The staff are really good. The staff make sure my relative socialises. There are external trips too. Care has been superb. Meals are smashing. My relative used to refuse to eat and now very happy to eat. We are delighted.” While another relative told inspectors it’s a “care home of a high standards. Staff absolutely brilliant. Could not be happier with my mother’s care.”
In particular, the staff team at Grandholm were highly praised, with inspectors noting that “morale amongst the staff continued to be high” and “staff felt supported by each other and by management” with an emphasis on the fact that staff were aware of each other’s skills and special interests allowing them to work in a cohesive and supportive way to ensure people’s needs were being properly and promptly met.
Service Manager Val Buchan said: “We are delighted to have achieved ‘Good’ and ‘Very Good’ ratings, it has taken dedication from the whole team at Grandholm to achieve this. We are focused and we are setting our sights on gaining an Outstanding rating next time!” Val said.
