Archived: Care Quest (South West) Limited (Dartmouth)

We were told that staff were efficient, generally on time and always clean, well presented and fully equipped to provide a safe and hygienic service. People felt safely cared for and well supported. They said of the staff that they were "Good, very good." and "They are all good maids." Staff also felt well supported by the agency telling us " (the management) are very fair, you can ring up with problems and either one of them will deal with it."

The agency provided a very flexible service and this was appreciated by both the people they supported, and the staff. The management told us that they "tried to meet people's needs."

People told us that staff were respectful, courteous and kind. People told us that their consent was always sought before they received any care or treatment and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes.

Care records showed that risks to people's health and welfare had been identified and that plans were in place to protect people from these risks.

People we spoke with told us that they felt safe whilst care was being delivered and that staff respected their property. People had information packs from the service which contained contact numbers if they had any concerns or complaints.

Records showed that background checks on staff had been undertaken. These included reference checks, Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks and copies of documents which provided proof of identity.

We found that systems designed to enable the provider to assess and monitor the quality of the services were in place. We saw that confidential records were kept within locked cabinets and that computers were password protected.