A BORDERS care home has shown a “commitment to sustained improvement” following a highly critical inspection report last year.

There was “little or no engagement” with residents at Peebles Nursing Home, two representatives of the Care Inspectorate concluded after an unannounced visit to the home at Tweed Green on July 27.

The home provides care services to 31 older adults.

While staff were found to be kind and respectful to residents there was a lack of “meaningful engagement” and a lack of leadership which “directly impacted on the quality of care”, the inspectors found.

The report rated the nursing home ‘weak’ in three areas – supporting well-being, leadership and the staff team and ‘adequate’ for how well care and support is planned.

A series of improvements were subsequently required to be fully implemented by September last year.

The home’s care provider, Edinburgh-based Mansfield Care Limited, apologised for the findings and pledged to implement the improvements, a spokesperson saying: “We are deeply disappointed by these findings, and we take full responsibility for making the necessary improvements.”

And when an inspector with the Care Inspectorate paid a return visit on October 9, significant improvements were found to have been introduced.

Improvements noted included better staff communication and more consistent care.

Mealtime experiences for people were improved with a staff member allocated to oversee the dinning room for breakfast.

The deadline for further improvements to records of care and staffing was then extended to December 22.

And when a representative of the Care Inspectorate returned to the home for another unannounced visit on January 16 further improvements were identified, with the service now rated ‘adequate’ for both supporting people’s well-being and its staff team.

The latest report says: “All requirements of previous inspections have now been met. This showed a commitment to sustained improvement.

“Recruitment of staff had been successful and there was a more stable staff team in place.

“This could lead to more consistency and would further enhance the quality of care.

“Whilst personal planning was much improved from previous inspections, further work was still needed to ensure daily records of care were accurate and reflected planned care.”