An Edinburgh nursery has been told to improve after a critical report by inspectors.
The Care Inspectorate said North Edinburgh Childcare was not meeting the correct child / staff ratios and also not 'effectively meeting two children's additional support needs.'
They also warned that the nursery may not be providing an 'acceptable level of care' due to heavily relying on agency staff as they found it difficult to hire 'quality staff'.
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The Ferry Road nursery received three complaints and was visited for an inspection on April 27, in which the inspecting body found evidence to back up all the complaints.
Concerns raised included not having enough staff for the child to adult ratio, kids with additional needs not receiving the care they required and being left in a highchair during meal times due to a lack of staff.
A complaint was also made regarding the high staff turnover. In the room for babies to three year olds, there were 17 different members of agency staff working in one week.
The Scottish Government body found that most complaints stemmed from the lack of staff members with an appropriate level of experience to provide the minimum standard of care required.
On the lack of staff the report read: "We have concluded that staff and child ratios had not been met by the service.
"Whilst some of the registers contained times and names of staff, others did not and this meant we were not able to verify the number of staff in attendance."
On not providing adequate care to children with additional needs at meal times they wrote: "There were missed opportunities for staff to plan and prepare appropriate support and a consistent approach.
"Children should not be subject to restraint due to staffing levels or practice."
And on being heavily reliant on agency staff and the impact this had on children’s care and support they wrote: "Staff told us that agency staff were used to support them on a daily basis.
"They told us that they frequently did not know who would be available on the day and that some of the agency staff were not experienced or able to provide good quality care and support.
"Staff were tasked with inducting and supporting agency staff upon their arrival at the service.
"They told us that this compromised the quality of experiences that they were able to provide to children as this sometimes took significant time as not all agency workers engaged with the process."
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The nursery have confirmed to Edinburgh Live they are providing more evidence to the Care Inspectorate but if any complaints were found to be true, they would respect the findings and implement changes.
The nursery provides care for children between four months and five-years-old and consists of three large playrooms and is set within its own grounds with extensive outdoor play areas.
One room provides 15 full time equivalent places for children aged four months - two years.
While another provides 18 full time equivalent places for two to three year olds and the third room provides 33 full time equivalent places for three to five year olds.
Theresa Allison, general manager of North Edinburgh Childcare, said: “Our central purpose is to provide the best possible support to the children we look after.
"We have been fully supportive of this investigation throughout, and while the Care Inspectorate’s findings are concerning, we welcome the recommendations.
"They will improve the service we give to the children in our care.
“We’re continuing to work with the Care Inspectorate to respond to the findings and are in the process of making changes that ensure we consistently work to our highest standards. If any parents have any concerns, they are welcome to contact me, or the Care Inspectorate directly.”
