Care watchdog’s new base in Dumfries is better for staff and public

Care Inspectorate Press releases

People using or wanting information about care services in Dumfries and Galloway are to benefit from the opening of a new office.

Scotland’s care regulator the Care Commission has relocated its 16 staff from their former office at Galloway House, in Dumfries, to a new base in the town, which they will share with Scottish Enterprise.

The Care Commission opted to move to Solway House because it has better access for disabled people and wheelchair users as well as providing better facilities for care inspectors.

Henry Mathias, the Care Commission’s regional manager for South West Scotland, said: “Galloway House has been a wonderful base for our work in Dumfries and Galloway, but the time has now come to move on.

“Our lease was due to end at the end of December and, rather than renewing it, we wanted to move to a new home that would not only provide a better environment for our staff, but would also be easier for disabled people to access.

“By moving to this new office at Solway House, which is a much newer building, we have ensured that our Dumfries operation is now compliant with the regulations set out by the Disability Discrimination Act.

“All of our staff in Dumfries have been relocated with the minimal amount of disruption and we are now looking forward to continuing our work to ensure care services in the region continue to be of high quality.

“We are also delighted that we will continue to have a strong presence in Dumfries.

“We expect that there will also be many advantages of co-locating with another public body and look forward to sharing our new offices with Scottish Enterprise.

The relocation in Dumfries comes as the Care Commission continues to highlight inspection reports and its new grading system as a vital tool in helping to drive up care standards in Scotland.

The Care Commission advises anyone looking to find any care services, such as a nursery or care home, to check the most recent reports on the services in their area – published on the Care Commission’s website (http://www.carecommission.com) – before making a decision on which one to choose.

The grading system was introduced because better care standards across the board are inevitable if services come under greater scrutiny from well-informed users and their families who know exactly what standards they are entitled to expect.