A service which provides personal care support to residents in Stockton-on-Tees has been rated ‘Good’ in its first Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.
The rating was awarded to Five Lamps Home Care service following a two day inspection.
In their report, inspectors recognised that staff go ‘out of their way’ to improve the quality of life of clients and ensure they support people ‘with privacy, dignity and confidentiality in mind’.
And the report also included comments from service users and their families. They include: “There are really excellent staff that always do their best to make my relative feel secure and cared for,” “Couldn’t ask for better care they [staff] are so kind and lovely” and “We all appreciate how good the carers are and how they treat our relative with such respect and kindness”.
Staff have an action plan in place to improve on the identified issues which require improvement. Graeme Oram, Chief Executive said:
“Home Care is a new service within Five Lamps’ portfolio and we have drawn real value from the CQC inspection. This achievement is a powerful endorsement of the commitment and dedication of our caring staff team who work incredibly hard to deliver safe and person-centred care.
As an organisation, we are strongly focused on service quality and continuous improvement. We are keen to see our Home Care service grow in the short term and we view the CQC rating and the learning from the inspection as integral to that growth.”
Five Lamps has been delivering community services for over 30 years and developed its home care service in December 2016 in partnership with Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council. Providing over 600 hours of weekly care, staff support residents with personal care, helping them to get dressed, washed and eat, cleaning and shopping. The service also helps with social engagement and wellbeing.
Councillor Jim Beall, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, said:
“This ‘Good’ rating goes a long way to show that local community-based organisations such as Five Lamps can successfully deliver vital personal care services in collaboration with the Council. You need only read the comments from service users and their families to see what a huge difference the Home Care service makes to their lives.
“I’d like to congratulate and thank all the staff at Five Lamps Home Care for the great work they are doing to help local people live safely and comfortably in their own homes for longer.”
For more information about Five Lamps, visit www.fivelamps.org.uk or call 01642 608316.