2 December 2011
During a routine inspection
In the agency's annual survey of people who used the service, everyone was satisfied with the overall level of care that they received. One person commented that they were not pleased about the amount of changes to care staff's shift patterns. Another person commented, "I am very satisfied with the care we receive from everyone at allied care. Thank you".
People said that they felt confident in leaving their relative to the care of the care staff team.
People and relatives told us that they were involved in decisions about their care and support. They said that when someone from the agency first visited them, they discussed their or their relative's likes and dislikes.
People told us that the attitude of the care staff was very important to them. They said that care staff always respected their and their relative's privacy and dignity at all times. Comments included:
"They (care staff) speak to me nicely".
"The care staff are a really nice team. They are very good with me. They suit my needs".
"They have fun and make it a bit lighter".
"The main thing is they are happy people and that helps a lot when they visit".
"I like taking to her (a member of the care staff team) because she is nice to me".
People told us that the agency kept in regular contact with them. They said that they were told about any changes to their regular carers. One person said, "We cannot fault them' "With the strange faces (non regular care staff) we cannot fault them".
People told us that care staff stayed for the correct length of time and carried out all the tasks that were recorded in their plan of care. They said that their care plans were changed to make sure that they were up to date.
People who used the service said that they felt safe when being cared for by care staff from the agency.
People told us that care staff had the skills and experience that they needed to support them or their family member.
People told us that they knew how to make a complaint about any aspect of their care. People who had made a compliant said that the agency had taken action to resolve it to their satisfaction.