9 October 2012
During a routine inspection
The agency had a procedure for looking into any concerns people had. They had not had any complaints for several years. The owners said they tried to correct minor problems as soon as possible so that they didn't become serious. We saw numerous cards and thank you letters from people saying positive things about the service from Hands. People we spoke with said they would be able to speak to the owners if there was a problem but had not needed to do so.
People told us that they felt safe with the agency's staff. The staff knew what to do if they were concerned that someone might be at risk. They had been given training about safeguarding people from abuse or neglect.
There was a process in place to ensure that appropriate checks were done before staff began work. We spoke with four care workers. They told us they felt well supported by the agency and had good back up from the three owners. One told us, 'I'm really, really enjoying it' and another said, 'at my interview they told me to feel that I can phone them if there is anything I need to talk about'.