The people who we visited gave very complimentary responses when we asked if they feel respected and listened to by the agency and its staff. In one instance we were told by a person who uses the service that they had wanted a different carer and the agency had listened and acted upon that request. Everyone who spoke with us said that they like the carers that they have and find them reliable, but also that they are contacted if a carer needs to change. In most cases people said that in their experience this happened only rarely.The people who we visited told us that 'I know the staff very well', and 'I have told staff what I need and how I like things to be done and they do that well'. When we asked people about whether they are contacted to talk about their care plans, one person could not recall, one said it had happened the week before and two said they had not been contacted to talk about their care plan for quite some time.
We asked the people who we visited if they felt safe in the hands of their carers and we were told by these people that they always do. We also asked about whether people would know who to contact if they ever had any concerns. In most cases people did know and felt confident to raise concerns if any were to arise. In one instance we were told that the person had no idea who to contact.
The people who we visited gave a highly complimentary view of the work of the vast majority of the carers who support them.