We carried out a themed inspection looking at domiciliary care services. We asked people to tell us what it was like to receive services from this home care agency as part of a targeted inspection programme of domiciliary care agencies with particular regard to how people's dignity was upheld and how they could make choices about their care. The inspection team was led by a CQC inspector joined by an Expert by Experience, who has experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.We used telephone interviews and home visits to people who use the service and to their main carers (a relative or friend) to gain views about the service. We visited four people in their own home as part of this review and spoke with them about their experiences of the support they were receiving. We were accompanied on these visits by a team leader from the agency. We spoke with the manager at the time of our visit to the office and also spoke with three care workers after the home visits. We spoke with twenty-nine people who received a service from this agency over the telephone.
The majority of people we spoke with gave positive feedback about the service and said that care staff respected their choices about the way that care was delivered. All of the people we spoke with said that they felt safe using this service and knew what to do if they had any concerns. Most people had been visited by a senior care worker or team leader at least once to review the care they were receiving and to check if there were any issues.
The people we spoke with confirmed that the care workers supported and encouraged them to maintain as much independence as possible. They told us that care staff had asked them how they liked to be addressed and had acted in accordance with their responses. The majority of people were confident that staff had the appropriate knowledge and skills to meet their needs. For example, one person said the care workers were 'Very understanding, they do a good job'. Another person told us 'I can't fault any of them. It's just perfect as it is'.