A ‘vastly improved’ care home in Kilmarnock has cause for celebration after receiving rating upgrades from the Care Inspectorate.
Inspectors visited Springhill Care Home, Portland Road, in September and judged it to be grade 4 ('good') across all areas. This incorporate quality of care, quality of staff, environment, leadership and management.
The news was made even more special as it was the care home's first inspection since being taken over by Silverline Care in 2017. Since then, Silverline Care has made a significant investment in to the property to improve the environment for residents.
In its report, the Care Inspectorate stated: “The new provider has invested heavily in the refurbishment programme for the care home which has included repairing roof and external building work, replacing entire kitchen and laundry facilities. Extensive work has been carried out within the care home and this is an ongoing work in progress.”
The Inspectorate said it had received many positive compliments from stakeholders including: “I feel that I can relax knowing that my relative is being cared for."; "The staff are friendly very caring and understand my relatives needs very well."; and "They show kindness and compassion towards all of the residents."
The upgrade is another boost for Springhill Care Home which received an award at the Quality Improvement Awards on Tuesday 13 November.
Springhill, in collaboration with Gargieston Early Childhood Centre and the Care Inspectorate, received the top prize in the Most Inspiring / Innovative category for the implementation of an intergenerational programme.
The project delivered sessions focused on physical activity, relationship building and maximised learning opportunities for children and adults.
It centered on both generations learning from each other and involved the children visiting Springhill twice a week over period.
In connection with the quality of care provided at the home, the Care Inspectorate said: “We concluded that the staff team at Springhill treated people with dignity, respect and demonstrated compassion in their approach. We received many complimentary and appreciative statements from relatives about the staff team, describing them as kind, caring, friendly and compassionate.
“We saw that the activity co-ordinators and the staff team provided an array of opportunities for residents to engage and join in various activities to keep them interested and motivated.”
Eileen Welch, home manager at Springhill, said: "I am delighted that we have been upgraded to grade 4 across all areas.
"I would like to extend my thanks to all those who helped drive the improvements within Springhill and for the patience and participation from all residents and relatives during the refurbishment.
"However, my utmost appreciation must go to my staff for their tremendous determination, commitment and willingness to embrace change with the passion for continual improvement.
"I feel privileged to lead such a compassionate, motivated team and look forward to continuing our journey towards achieving excellence."
