Archived: Home Counties Carers

People who used the service confirmed their involvement in planning their care and support. One person said, 'They don't patronise me and I feel more like a partner than a patient. That is very important to me'.

The five people and the relative that we spoke with told us that they were very happy with the care that had been provided. One relative told us, 'I find it impossible to fault them and I think you will too. They always let you know if they're running a bit late and they do things without me having to ask them'

We noted that guidance regarding safeguarding people from abuse was available to staff and that they had received relevant training recently. One person we spoke with told us, 'I have complete faith in all the carers and know they will look out for me and not let anything bad happen. They are lovely people'.

We found that there were effective recruitment procedures in place and that carers were provided with appropriate training and support for the role.

We noted that the service had comprehensive systems in place to monitor and assess the standard of care being provided to people and that it responded promptly and was pro-active in improving standards.

We visited Home Counties Care office, looked at records including care plans, risk assessments and staff files. We spoke with staff and people who used the service or their family. People told us that staff from the agency had visited and assessed their care needs before the service to them commenced. One relative said, 'They assessed our needs before the carers started and they have continued to adapt the plan to meet our needs they are excellent'.

All the people we spoke with told us that they were very happy with the service provided and that staff were reliable and punctual. People also said that staff were respectful and very caring. One person said, 'The carers are diligent and so helpful they are the best'.

Staff spoken with told us that the manager carried out spot checks regularly to make sure that staff were providing care the way it had been agreed. They said this formed part of their regular supervision. All staff spoken with said they found the agency management very supportive.

We found that care plans were reviewed on a regular basis and information was clearly documented. We saw that staff were trained in administering medication and that staff competency in the administration of medication had been checked.

People told us they knew who to go to if they had any concerns, and were confident the manager would take them seriously.