Archived: Cumbria Care Domiciliary Care Agency Copeland and Allerdale

People who received reablement support told us that they greatly appreciated the care provided by the service. They said it was very important to them that they were supported to gain confidence to live independently in their own homes. One person who told us, 'It's marvellous. When I came out of hospital I thought that would be it, that I would need care all the time. But I'm almost back to my old self with the help of the carers.'

When we looked at how medicines were handled we found that overall people were protected against risks. However we found that the policies and procedures were not clear and staff did not have the level of training required in this area to fully ensure they that were carrying out procedures correctly.

The agency had in place all the necessary equipment to support the operation of a busy domiciliary care agency. We found that records in the agency were well kept being up to date and reviewed on a regular basis.

People said of the staff, "The enablers are different from carers from other agencies, the enablers are more flexible and can alter the amount of time they spend in the home according to circumstances."

"They (the care workers) are the highlight of our day and they have done wonders for our morale". "It has made a huge difference to my husband's independence, he has been given the confidence to do things for himself again."

"It has been good to know when living alone and being unable to care for one's self, even on a temporary basis, that a service such as yours is available. I am now mobile enough to do all the tasks around the home and starting the next phase of my recovery thanks to your help."

We found that the agency was well run and organised. The provider had effective systems in place to identify, assess and manage risks and to ensure that care was delivered effectively and to people's satisfaction.