There are certain industry standards that a home care service provider must meet to ensure that they’re providing an exceptional level of care to their service users and their families. In Scotland, this is handled by the Care Inspectorate (or CI), which are an independent regulatory body charged with scrutinising the level of care provided and with supporting improvement.
The myCare mission is a simple yet very important one – to set the standard in the care sector by delivering exceptional quality care with a team who have a real passion for what they do. We provide a wide range of care services, from home care and supported living to respite and end of life. Please contact our team for more information.
What is the Care Inspectorate (CI)?
The CI looks at the quality of care in Scotland to ensure it meets high standards. If they find that improvement is needed, they support services in making these positive changes.
The CI register more than 11,000 care services around Scotland, and their inspectors visit each and every one. They speak with people who use the service, as well as staff and managers.
Higher-risk services are inspected more often.
As well as inspecting care, the job of the CI is to help improve the quality of the service where needed. They support and work with services, offering them advice, guidance and sharing good practice to help them reach the highest standards possible.
What do the Ratings Mean?
During an inspection, the inspector looks at key areas of the service (such as care and support, physical environment, quality of staffing, and quality of management and leadership). Each area is assessed on a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 being unsatisfactory and 6 being excellent. They refer to Scotland’s Health and Social Care Standards when assessing how well care is performing.
6. Excellent
An evaluation of excellent means that the performance of the care service is sector-leading. As well as a demonstrable track record of high-quality performance across a wide range of activities, the CI is also confident that this level of performance is sustainable.
5. Very Good
An evaluation of very good means that the performance of the care service demonstrated some major strengths and, as such, there are very few areas for improvement.
4. Good
An evaluation of good means that the performance of the care service has a number of important strengths; however, improvements are required to ensure that service users consistently have positive outcomes.
3. Adequate
An evaluation of adequate means that the performance of the care service has some strengths, but these do not outweigh the weaknesses. Performance may be tolerable in particular circumstances, but continued performance at this level is unacceptable.
2. Weak
An evaluation of weak means that strengths can be identified in the performance of the care service, but they are outweighed or even compromised by significant weaknesses. Without improvement as a priority, the welfare or safety of service users may be compromised.
1. Unsatisfactory
An evaluation of unsatisfactory means that there are major weaknesses in the performance of the care service. These weaknesses require immediate remedial action; it’s likely that the welfare or safety of service users is compromised.
After every inspection, a report is published that details the inspector’s findings. These findings are made publicly available.
What if a Poor Rating is Received?
If the CI finds that the quality of care provided by a service isn’t good enough, they are compelled to take action. They can make recommendations on areas that need improvement and issue requirements for change – and they’ll check that these things have happened.
If a care service doesn’t improve for whatever reason, the CI is permitted to carry out enforcement action. This may include (but usually only as a last resort) having the service closed down.
Our Rating at myCare
At our last inspections in 2023 we were very pleased that both myCare Grampian and myCare Tayside were graded with all 4’s and 5’s on the scale (Good/Very Good). This rating was across all of our home care services, staff, and procedures.
Why CI Ratings Matter
When a loved one requires some additional assistance due to advancing age or a medical condition, you want to ensure that they’re going to receive a high standard of care with the utmost respect and dignity.
When looking at potential care services, the CI rating can be a determining factor in which one a family will ultimately go with. The higher the grade a service has received, the better the quality of care it is perceived they provide.
Choose a Care Provider with a Strong CI Rating, Like myCare
Quality care matters at myCare. We take our responsibility as your (or your loved one’s) care team very seriously and seek to provide service user-focused care with dignity and respect. Whilst we are proud of our current CI rating of 4 (Good), we continuously aim to exceed the high standards of care set out by both the Care Inspectorate and the Scottish Social Services Council.
For more information about the care services we provide, please get in touch with our courteous team today.
