Archived: Mears Care - Lytham

We were consistently told by people using the service that staff were always polite, respectful and that maintaining the privacy and dignity of the individual was given careful consideration. We spoke with one person who told us that before she started using the service somebody from the agency visited her to have a talk about the help she needed. Another person was full of praise for the care workers that visited saying, 'First class carers, I am delighted with everything. I cannot see anything wrong with any of them. They cannot do enough for you. They are 100%.'

Surveys were regularly distributed, giving opportunity for users of the service or their representative to give feedback about the quality of the service provided. People also told us that they were periodically visited by senior staff and asked if they were happy with the support they received.

The people spoken with told us that they were very pleased with the quality of the service provided by the agency. We were told that there was a good level of staff consistency with the same small group of staff visiting, that people got to know well. We were also repeatedly told that staff appeared competent to carry out their allocated tasks and that people had confidence in the staff team.

One person said, "Everything is fine I can have a laugh and a joke with them. Anything I need, a hug, a smile is always there, I could not say a bad word about any of them. Sometimes they go overboard. They don't just walk out on me. They always wait until I have finished and ask me if there is anything else I need.'

It was clear that staff had built up good relationships with people they supported and those relationships were highly valued. Another person said, 'The carer that comes is a lovely person and that makes all the difference. She knows where everything is, she does everything that is needed and more. She is like a daughter to us.'

The people we spoke with told us that they knew who to speak with if they had any worries or concerns. Contact details of the agency, plus details of how to make a

complaint, were given to each person using the service.

People using the agency spoke very positively about the staff team and told us that they had every confidence in the care workers that visited. We were also told that people were very satisfied that their needs were understood by those looking after them. People said that staff were always polite, caring, kind and helpful. We spoke to some relatives who also spoke very highly of the staff team.

We were told by staff that good training was provided, refresher training was available and that the management team were approachable and supportive.

The people spoken with told us that communication within the agency was good and that they were able to contact the agency when ever they wished. We were told that, "They keep in touch and will ring if the carer is going to be a bit late. They also check up when they visit on what the carers are doing and ask if I am still happy with what the carers do'.