Care Inspectorate's damning report on Strathspey respite centre

A holiday respite centre near Aviemore which is no stranger to controversy has received a damning report from care inspectors.

Badaguish Outdoor Centre has been told by the Care Inspectorate that it needs to make significant improvements after its services were deemed to be weak across the board.

They said they were ‘extremely concerned’ about the security of the respite facility which provides breaks for children and adults with learning and physical disabilities.

The report states: “The entrance to the facility was not secure and on one occasion we were able to enter the accommodation unchallenged.

“Confidential information and personal possessions could be accessed by members of the public. People had no means of securing their bedroom doors.”

On staffing, the inspectors reported: “We were concerned at the level of significant accidents and incidents that had occurred which were not formally recorded or notified to the Care Inspectorate.

“This included an accident to a service user during our inspection visit which resulted in emergency medical treatment being sought.

“We found there was a lack of formal supervision being undertaken with staff.”

The report was published earlier this week following an unannounced inspection on September 16, last year at the outdoor centre run by the Speyside Trust.

It comes as the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator confirmed it had received complaints about the trust’s operation and charitable status.

The centre has also frequently found itself at the centre of rows with the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s (CNPA) planning committee for breaching planning conditions including for wigwam accommodation being developed on site.

The operators were reprimanded by the CNPA’s planning committee’s Eleanor Mackintosh a year ago who said the authority had ‘serious concerns’ at the business’s repeated failure to apply for planning permission before undertaking works.

The stated aims of the Badaguish centre are to provide a “holiday experience that is stimulating, interesting and fun” in a supported environment.

Inspectors found that feedback from parents and carers who completed their questionnaires was positive but it was noted that staff were all new and did not know the people they were supporting. Feedback from service users was mixed.

Trust director Andrew MacKenzie told the Strathy: “The recently released Care Inspectorate report is from an inspection last September.

“It is the result of some significant failings which resulted in the resignation and replacement of the care manager.

“Silvie MacKenzie retired from this position two years ago and the post has been hard to fill.

“The trust have now been fortunate to recruit a promising new care manager.”

More on this story in this week’s Strathspey and Badenoch Herald.

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