We spoke with seven people who used the service and their relatives about the quality of care provided by the agency. In particular we spoke to people who required support at the weekends to check the quality of care was sufficient at that time of the week. In general the majority of people we spoke with were complimentary of the service. People told us their carers were courteous and polite and they were treated with dignity and respect. People who used the service told us the carers regularly offered them choices. People told us when their regular carer was unavailable, there was always cover provided which was of similar quality. People told us the care provided to them at the weekends was of the same quality as during the week, even when different carers assisted them.
People told us they felt staff knew their care needs and they had a copy of their care plan in their house which staff could check. People told us their carers generally had enough time to complete their tasks and carers did not leave until all their jobs were completed. One person told us the agency were very helpful on one occasion when they had made a complaint. Another person told us they had been able to change carers when their original carer had been unreliable.
Some people who used the service were aware that the agency undertook spot checks on its carers to see if staff were arriving on time and completing care tasks correctly. Other people were not aware if these checks had taken place. The majority of people told us the agency called them or their next of kin on occasions to check they were happy with the quality of care provided.