A BORDERS nursing home has been given the thumbs up following an unannounced inspection.

West Linton’s Whim Hall Nursing Home was visited by two inspectors in July.

The facility, which is registered to provide accommodation to a maximum of 44 older people, scored well in an evaluation.

It received a ‘very good’ rating in its support for people’s wellbeing and ‘good’ grades for leadership, staff team, setting and planning of care and support.

The Care Inspectorate report states: “The service demonstrated major strengths in supporting positive outcomes for people. 

“People experienced warmth, kindness and compassion in how they were supported and cared for, from a staff team who were very observant to their needs. 

“People who had recently moved to Whim Hall had appointments with local health professionals arranged timeously which enabled a smooth transition. 

“One relative told us how their 'loved one had settled in so quickly, with support from staff who go above and beyond'. 

“There were various avenues for people's health and wellbeing being monitored from daily meetings, weekly clinical risk meetings and input from health professionals. 

“These very detailed reports meant people could be confident their health and wellbeing benefited from their care and support well. 

“Any concerns were raised timeously with the right people.” 

It adds: “We saw very good examples of proactive collaborative working to find solutions to reduce stress and distress for people and to support friendships within the home. 

“A relative told us 'all the staff at Whim Hall are amazing and we are very lucky that our loved one is there'. 

“Staff were friendly, observant and chatting with people as they went about their tasks, this made people feel involved and valued. Some people told us they would like more to do, whilst others told us they enjoyed walks around the garden, pets visiting, crafts and games. One person was teaching staff and friends a Gaelic word of the day.” 

An area of improvement was listed by inspectors in their report.

They said the home should have “clear and up to date guidance within moving and assisting care plans for staff to follow”.