VSA,

SA,45
450
0HHo
olbur
lburn
n Str
Street
eet
Care Home Service

139 Hardgate
Aberdeen
AB11 6XQ

Telephone: 01224 358570

Type of inspection:
Unannounced

Completed on:
28 March 2023

Service provided by: Service provider number:

Aberdeen Association of Social SP2003000011
Service, a company limited by
guarantee, trading as VSA

Service no:
CS2003000172
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About the service

VSA, 450 Holburn Street is a care home registered to provide residential support for up to 20 people with
mental health issues, alcohol or drug problems. The service has been registered since 2002, and moved to
new purpose-built premises at 450 Holburn Street, Aberdeen, in August 2021.

The main service is located in a residential area near the centre of Aberdeen, close to local shops, transport
links and community centres. Accommodation is provided over three floors, in single rooms with en suite
facilities including a walk-in shower. There is one communal dining and living area, and this leads out to an
enclosed well-maintained garden.

At the time of the inspection, people were living in a temporary location at Queen Mother House whilst work
was ongoing to install air conditioning to the main care home location. Queen Mother House is also
centrally located and close to local amenities. Accommodation is provided over two floors, in single rooms
with en suite facilities.

There were 17 people living in the service at the time of the inspection.

About the inspection

This was an unannounced follow up inspection which took place on 14 March 2023. Feedback was provided
on 28 March 2023. The inspection was carried out by one inspector from the Care Inspectorate.

To prepare for the inspection we reviewed information about this service. This included previous inspection
findings, registration information, information submitted by the service and intelligence gathered since the
last inspection.

In making our evaluations of the service we:

• spoke with three people using the service

• spoke with six staff and management
• observed practice and daily life
• reviewed documents
• spoke with visiting professionals.

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Key messages
• The service had met the two requirements and area for improvement made at the previous
inspection.

• People were satisfied with the service and felt well-informed about plans to return to 450 Holburn
Street.

• Staff felt supported and were positive about changes made by the management team.

• People could access a range of activities and felt connected to the community.

From this inspection we evaluated this service as:

In evaluating quality, we use a six point scale where 1 is unsatisfactory and 6 is excellent

How well do we support people's wellbeing? 3 - Adequate

How good is our leadership? 3 - Adequate

How good is our setting? 3 - Adequate

Further details on the particular areas inspected are provided at the end of this report.

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How well do we support people's wellbeing? 3 - Adequate

We found improvement in how people's health and wellbeing benefited from their care and support,
therefore we have evaluated quality indicator 1.3 as good. However, the overall grade remains as adequate.

People had settled into the temporary service and told us that they found their living environment to be
comfortable.

The service had improved medication management and practice, and where people received "as required"
medication, the reasons for it being given were clearly recorded. This meant that additional medication was
given in line with best practice, and kept people safe.

The healthy living group was well-established, and promoted a nutritious diet as well as the importance of
exercise. People chose a recipe that they would like to cook, and participated in cooking it. This meant that
people were able to engage in activities that would keep them physically and mentally well. For further
details, please see What the service has done to meet any areas for improvement we made at or since the
last inspection.

How good is our leadership? 3 - Adequate

We found that the service had improved how it used quality assurance processes to improve people's
experiences, therefore we evaluated this key question as adequate.

We found evidence of the service's improved response to any issues raised by people or staff. For example,
a forum had been set up to address concerns raised about health and safety issues due to smoking within
the building. This proactive approach demonstrated that the service had learned lessons from previous
adverse events. This also meant that solutions to improve people's experiences and to keep people safe
were identified at an earlier point.

The service had also implemented a range of actions in response to requirements made at the last
inspection. See What the service has done to meet any requirements made at or since the last inspection.

How good is our setting? 3 - Adequate

The service had made improvements to people's living environment since the last inspection therefore we
have evaluated this key question as adequate.

People had now settled into the temporary location, and the provider had implemented improvements to
ensure people were comfortable. People now had full access to wifi which meant they could watch TV,
stream games and use the internet.

The service had been keeping people up-to-date with a clear plan to return to 450 Holburn Street after
necessary works have been completed. For further details, please see What the service has done to meet
any requirements made at or since the last inspection.

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What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at

or since the last inspection

Requirements

Requirement 1

By 5 December 2022, the provider must develop an improvement plan to ensure that the premises are fit to
be used for the provision of a care home. To do this, the provider must, at a minimum:

- Confirm a detailed timebound plan outlining the necessary work required to ensure the
ambient temperature within the service at 450 Holburn Street is comfortable and can be controlled by
people living in the service according to their individual needs.

- Confirm a detailed timebound plan to undertake all necessary work to ensure the premises at
18 Claremont Place provide people with a comfortable living environment including access to digital
technology.

- Confirm a detailed plan to support people to move back to 450 Holburn Street in a way that causes
least disruption to people.

This is to comply with Regulations 4(1)(a); 10(1) and 10(2)(c) of The Social Care and Social Work
Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 210/2011) about welfare of
service users, and fitness of premises.

This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which
state that: ‘If I live in a care home, I can control the lighting, ventilation, heating and security of my
bedroom.’ (HSCS 5.12)

This requirement was made on 17 August 2022.

Action taken on previous requirement

The service provided a comprehensive action plan within the timeframe for the requirements.

We have received regular updates from the provider, detailing the progress of the work that requires to be
undertaken at 450 Holburn Street.

Key areas of improvement at the temporary location were implemented in a timely manner and this ensured
that people had a comfortable living environment with access to wifi and any other amenities. People told
us that they were comfortable and happy with their living environment.

The service provided a detailed timebound plan to support people to move back to 450 Holburn Street once
the necessary work has been completed. This plan includes a pre-visit for staff to ensure they are fully
trained in the use of the new air conditioning system. Detailed plans are also in place to ensure staff and
the executive management team are on site at both locations on the day of the move. This will provide
people and staff with support and reassurance and should ensure minimal disruption.

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People and staff have been kept up-to-date through group and one to one meetings which meant that
people we spoke to during the inspection were fully aware of the plans.

Based on the evidence submitted by the provider, the regular updates, and the findings during the follow up
inspection, we were satisfied that this requirement was met.

Met - outwith timescales

Requirement 2

By 5 December 2022, the provider must ensure that the service uses learning from complaints and adverse
events to improve the quality of care and support for people. To do this, the provider must, at a minimum:

- Identify learning from the events leading up to the decision to support people to move to
alternative accommodation.

- Review the service’s response to any concerns or complaints made in accordance with the
organisation’s complaints procedure, including using any feedback to support improvement.

This is to comply with Regulation 18(3) of The Social Care and Social Work Improvement
Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011 (SSI 210/2011).

This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which
state that: 'If I have a concern or complaint, this will be discussed with me and acted on without
negative consequences for me.' (HSCS 4.21) and ‘I benefit from a culture of continuous improvement, with
the organisation having robust and transparent quality assurance processes.’ (HSCS 4.19)

This requirement was made on 17 August 2022.

Action taken on previous requirement

The provider had arranged four debriefing sessions with staff, and these had been facilitated by an external
professional. This enabled staff the opportunity to share their views on the previous adverse event, and
identified actions that could prevent a recurrence.

Actions and learning points were incorporated into the plan for supporting people to move back to 450
Holburn Street, taking into account learning from previous events.

Key points and recommendations were taken forward and a new complaints process has been
implemented.

This requirement was therefore met.

Met - outwith timescales

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What the service has done to meet any areas for improvement we
made at or since the last inspection

Areas for improvement

Previous area for improvement 1

To support people to get the most out of life and stay in touch with their local community, the service should
continue to explore ways to enable people to maintain their skills and interests in the Holburn Street setting.

This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which state
that: 'I can maintain and develop my interests, activities and what matters to me in the way that I like.'
(HSCS 2.22)

This area for improvement was made on 17 August 2022.

Action taken since then

We found evidence of improved outcomes for people in relation to how they were supported to access social
activity.

This included one person being able to access a local art workshop. Other people spoke about going out for
walks with staff, going to local cafes, engaging in an educational course, and going out on regular trips.
This provided people with meaningful structure to their day and helped them to feel connected to their local
community.

The service had also improved its oversight of activity undertaken through an activity tracker and a member
of staff undertaking the role of activities champion. Activities were discussed regularly at resident and staff
meetings. This meant that everyone had the opportunity to engage in activity if they wanted to.

This area for improvement has been met.

Complaints

There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are
published at www.careinspectorate.com

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Detailed evaluations
How well do we support people's wellbeing? 3 - Adequate

1.3 People's health and wellbeing benefits from their care and support 4 - Good

1.4 People experience meaningful contact that meets their outcomes,

4 - Good
needs and wishes

1.5 People's health and wellbeing benefits from safe infection prevention
3 - Adequate
and control practice and procedure

How good is our leadership? 3 - Adequate

2.2 Quality assurance and improvement is led well 3 - Adequate

How good is our setting? 3 - Adequate

4.1 People experience high quality facilities 3 - Adequate

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To find out more

This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from
our website.

Care services in Scotland cannot operate unless they are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect,
award grades and help services to improve. We also investigate complaints about care services and can take
action when things aren't good enough.

Please get in touch with us if you would like more information or have any concerns about a care service.

You can also read more about our work online at www.careinspectorate.com

Contact us

Care Inspectorate
Compass House
11 Riverside Drive
Dundee
DD1 4NY

enquiries@careinspectorate.com

0345 600 9527

Find us on Facebook

Twitter: @careinspect

Other languages and formats

This report is available in other languages and formats on request.

Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas.

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