'Leadership challenges' at Ross-shire Women's Aid service
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A ROSS-shire service which throws a lifeline to women and children affected by domestic abuse has received a mixed report following an inspection.
The Care Commission said that while Dingwall-based Ross-shire Women’s Aid provides a good care and support, the quality of management and leadership was rated “adequate.” There were times when staff felt they were inadequately supported by management, said the report, following the December 3 unannounced inspection.
But it noted an interim management team was addressing areas identified as needing improvement, with a detailed action plan.
It said: “As a result of our findings we concluded that the service was currently operating to an adequate standard. Should we have found that the recent management team were not making significant in roads to address our concerns we would have graded the management and leadership as weak.”
It said staff continued to work in a dedicated and caring way, were well trained and experienced, enhancing the quality of care provided to women and children.
The report stated: “However, we were also aware that staff had been faced with a challenging time due to changes in the management of the service. This had clearly impacted on staff moral and a feeling of being unsupported at times.
“We have highlighted this as an area that needs to be improved on in the management and leadership theme in this report.”
Eight women who responded to the inspection questionnaires were happy overall with the quality of care and support provided. However, three of them stated that they were unclear about the service’s complaints procedure and the role of the Care Inspectorate, in relation to making a complaint.
During the inspection comments noted included: “The service from Women’s Aid is a life saver,” “My care worker has supported me through the worst and shown me how far I have come,” and “I just wish they could get more funding so they can continue to provide this life-saving service.”
