We carried out a themed inspection looking at domiciliary care services. We asked people to tell us what it was like to receive services from this home care agency as part of a targeted inspection programme of domiciliary care agencies with particular regard to how people's dignity was upheld and how they can make choices about their care. We used telephone interviews to speak to ten people who use the service and to their main carers to gain views about the service. We also spoke with a senior manager at the agency and interviewed four care workers at the agency's office and another four by telephone.
All the people we spoke with said they were satisfied with the service they received from the agency. One person told us she feels 'very lucky that she has two great carers'. When asked is there anything they would like to see changed about the way the service is delivered, nobody said there was. One person said, she would 'struggle to find anything the carers could improve on'.
All of the people we spoke with felt that the care was tailored to their individual needs and preferences. Their carers used their preferred names, listened to them and took into account their choices, treated them with respect and maintained their privacy and dignity when providing care.
Most of the people could not recall having a care plan, but told us they were involved in the planning of their care. One person told us 'they went through the care package and tried to ensure that my needs were met.'
The majority of people we spoke with said that their carers understood their needs and carried out their jobs confidently and competently. However, some people told us that this was not always their experience. One person said their 'regular carer is excellent but sometimes those who cover are not as good, and do not have as much experience'.
People told us that they felt safe with their carers. One person told us if they had any concerns they knew who to contact at the agency.