Choices Homecare (Oldham)

People's experience of using this service: People told us they felt safe and systems were in place to help protect them from the risk of abuse.

Staffing levels were adequate and management considered staffing levels to ensure they were safe when accepting new referrals to support people. People told us they could rely on the care workers to arrive on time.

People's needs were assessed by trained staff and their care records reflected the person's choices. People were encouraged to do the things they wanted and the service worked hard to allow them to do so as safely as possible.

Some care workers received additional training to enable them to demonstrate specialist equipment to other care workers to ensure they could support people safely.

People told us they were offered a choice of meals and enjoyed what the care workers cooked for them.

Where people were unwell or needed other support, referrals were made to people's GPs, district nurses and speech and language therapists (SALTs).

People spoke highly of the care workers and felt they were treated with kindness and respect. People told us how they usually saw the same care workers so had got to know each other well.

People gave us examples of how care workers had supported them to remain independent and had a positive impact on their lives.

Technology was used to help people be involved in their care. Up to date information about people's care was available on a secure online site so people could see which care workers were visiting and relatives could see that the care workers had arrived.

People were supported to participate in activities outside their homes and remain a part of the local community.

The management of the service worked hard to monitor and improve the service. People and their relatives told us they were confident in them and that someone was always available if they needed anything.

Rating at last inspection: Good, published on 22 November 2016