An Oldham-based home care agency has received an all-round "good" rating from official inspectors.

Users of Care with Choices, which is based out of an office on Chapel Road, praised staff members for being respectful and ‘having a laugh’ with them.

The agency, which provides personal care to people living in their own house and flats, received good in all areas from the Care Quality Commission, which is tasked with inspecting services including GPs, care homes, and hospitals.

The service was found to be "good" in the area's of safety, effectiveness, where it is caring, its responsiveness and leadership.

Inspectors looked at the service, which cares for people with physical disabilities, sensory impairments, dementia, and learning disabilities, over dates in October and November.

Users of the service praised staff, saying: “The carers are very kind, and we always have a laugh, I really am happy with these staff.”

Staff were found to protect people from risks of abuse, and were trusted to keep patients safe, having received safeguarding training.

The agency was also praised for involving people in decisions about their care, such as with food and drink choices, and for respecting their privacy and independency when needed.

Medicines were also found to be managed safely, with people receiving their medicines as prescribed.

One resident said to inspectors: “They give my tablets and they always give them on time.”

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The agency was given 24 hours’ notice of the inspection, due to the service’s small size and to ensure the manager would be in to support the inspection.

The provider was praised for its electronic system which ensured staffing levels were sufficient, and that staff were on time for people’s visits, with relatives of users saying that they were always informed if there would be a delay, and one saying: “the carers are always on time.”

Recruitment checks were found to be sufficient to make sure staff are up to scratch.

Staff were confident to with reporting concerns to their manager, but were not sure about the whistleblowing process, which the manager said would be reiterated.

Staff were also praised for their adherence to protection control guidelines, with one relative of a care user saying: “Staff always wear masks and PPE.”

The agency’s care plans were praised for their personalisation and level of detail, with relatives saying they were able to access daily notes as soon as they were made.

Staff also praised management, saying they felt supported in their roles.