Archived: Care North West Limited

All people who use the service who we spoke to, confirmed that staff invariably arrived either on time or within an acceptable period. The relative of one person who used the service, told us they were appreciative of the ease with which they could change the time of a visit if necessary, for example, to fit in with a hospital appointment. Staff who we spoke to said that they usually visited the same people and usually had a "set" rota.

All people who use the service told us that the carers who visited were known to them, having been introduced before their first visit. They also confirmed that staff knew what to do and were competent in the tasks they undertook. Comments from people who use the service included, - "[staff are] very good. Couldn't fault them." "Very happy with the girls who come, very happy with the service." "They [staff] are wonderful, fantastic, they brighten the day up ' treat you as a human being, and talk to me how I like to be talked to [not patronising], really good girls." "I think they are wonderful and look forward to them coming."

Staff who we spoke to told us that they "logged" in and out of people's houses via an electronic system used by Care North West. This provided a very accurate record of the precise time at which a carer logs in and logs out. They also confirmed that they made a record of what was undertaken at each visit. This record was kept at the person's home for a period of time before being returned to the agency's office. Staff described the "on-call" system to us. They told us that they could contact a manager, at any time. This included, for example, if there was an emergency, or they were running late, or they were unable to make the visit. All staff who we spoke to told us that the system was effective and, from their experience, cover was provided if they were unable to attend a visit at short notice.

All people who used the service who we asked, were aware of the number to call if a member of staff failed to turn up or if they needed to make any other complaint about the service. Most people who use the service who we spoke to, had not needed to use that process, but told us they were confident that 'the office' would sort anything out. One person told us they had contacted the on-call person who had arranged appropriate cover. We were also told by one person who used the service that there had been occasions a few months previously when weekend visits seemed to be problematic. This person told us that those difficulties had been sorted out and they were currently experiencing no problems with visits being late or missed.

We asked both the staff and the people who use the service if anyone from the agency's offices undertook "spot-checks" or any other forms of contact to establish if the service was working well. All the staff we spoke to said that they were subject to spot-checks, that people who use the service were also contacted by a member of the management team and that individual progress was addressed through supervision and appraisal. People who use the service who we spoke to did not present a consistent view on this, with three out of the five people we spoke to not being able to recall if anybody had contacted them.

All staff, people who use the service and people their representatives, who we spoke to, were positive about the service provided by Care North West.