The Health and Social Care Partnership can confirm that the Care Inspectorate has removed its improvement notice on NHS Highland's Sutherland Care at Home service.
The Care Inspectorate issued the improvement notice to the service in April this year and outlined recommendations which must be met. We are pleased to confirm that the Care Inspectorate has lifted all these requirements.
NHS Highland started a Large Scale Investigation into the service, and this has also been concluded due to the improvement work which has been undertaken.
Arlene Johnstone, NHS Highland’s Chief Officer for Adult Social Care, said: “We are pleased to confirm that all recommendations outlined in the Improvement Notice have been lifted by the Care Inspectorate. This has been achieved through the hard work and dedication of the local team and leadership, and we are extremely grateful for their efforts. They have gone above and beyond to deliver improvements which will strengthen service delivery and ensure continuity of care for clients across Sutherland.
“We can also confirm the Large Scale Investigation has been concluded. This is positive step for the service, and we are working to ensure the improvements that have been made will continue to ensure safe, efficient care at home services in the area.
“We recognise this has been a stressful time for all our care at home clients and their families, as well as local communities across Sutherland. We are committed to working closely with you to develop services which will meet the needs of remote and rural communities across our area.”
Fiona Duncan, Chief Social Work Officer for Highlands added: “It has been a concerning number of months for both clients and staff. However, a number of changes have been made which should contribute to ongoing improvements across this service area. I would like to send my sincere thanks to all staff involved.”