Inverurie nursery with mould and structural issues putting children at risk, inspection finds

The health of children attending a nursery in Inverurie was put “significantly” at risk due to mould and broken outdoor equipment, a watchdog has found.

The Care Inspectorate has published a scathing review of Busy Bees Inverurie, finding leadership “weak” and its efforts to help children thrive and develop in quality spaces as “unsatisfactory”.

The centre provides daycare services for up to 200 children at any one time across two buildings.

Busy Bees Scotland said it was “disappointed” by the findings and has instructed significant renovations to be carried out.

An unannounced inspection carried out in March found one building to have extensive rot, potential structural concerns and unsafe equipment.

Mould was also found in the children’s dining and bathroom areas, as well as stagnant water, damaged fencing, unstable steps, and broken outdoor resources.

The watchdog said the conditions posed a “significant risk”, including for children with health conditions.

After being raised with staff, the management team were said to have taken “immediate action” and moved the children to another building.

In other buildings, other maintenance issues were discovered, including missing ceiling panels and out-of-use equipment, including a laundry and a dishwasher in one playroom.

Despite the staff and management team raising this with the provider, no improvements had been made.

Infection risk was also identified in the nursery, with damaged or dirty surfaces and broken cupboards restricting staff’s ability to clean the spaces properly.

Potties were found left on bathroom floors, mops stored in children’s toilets, food left uncovered and out-of-use handwashing taps.

Basic hygiene supplies, such as toilet paper and hand towels, were not consistently available, and staff reported that some resources, such as wipes and gloves, were sometimes unavailable.

The nursery has been given until May 14 to make improvements, including ensuring that all equipment, furniture, and resources are in good repair and clean.

Yvonne Smillie, Scotland managing director for Busy Bees, said: “While we welcome the inspection’s recognition of many examples of good care, we are disappointed with the overall outcome.

“We strive to deliver only the best possible early years education and to meet the needs of all families at the nursery, and we are sincerely sorry that on this occasion our internal escalation to report maintenance matters failed.

“We have already launched a significant renovation programme to address the inspection’s key findings, and look forward to rolling this out further in the months ahead.

“Our nursery team are working hard to maintain education standards for our children while works are under way and we ask that they are supported and respected.”