Gentle Folk Community Care

The inspection was completed due to concerns being raised relating to staff recruitment. Our findings showed that the provider had made improvements in recruitment practices. We did, however, find that the provider had failed to report all safeguarding concerns to the Care Quality Commission as required but had, nevertheless, taken robust action to protect people.

The provider nurtured an open, supportive and caring environment for those people who used the service, their relatives and their staff. They reflected on incidents, accidents and near misses to ensure they kept people safe and to make improvements. People received care that was dedicated, person-centred and safe. People and their relatives told us they saw the same group of staff who were well-trained, respectful and compassionate. The risks to people, and staff, had been identified, mitigated and reviewed and people told us they felt safe using the service. People received their medicines as prescribed, and they told us staff were good at protecting them from the risk of infectious diseases by washing their hands and using personal protective equipment (PPE). People had been involved in the planning of their care, and they told us the service met their needs.

Staff told us they felt valued and appreciated and that they were treated kindly by the provider. Staff received the training, supervision and support they needed to perform their role, help keep people safe and maintain a good quality service. Staff told us they were happy to work for Gentle Folk Community Care.

We received feedback from 18 people who used the service and/or their relatives, and they all told us they would recommend the service. One relative we spoke with summed up the feedback received by saying, “They [Gentle Folk Community Care] are reliable, kind and caring and we get responses. [Relative] is very happy with them and yes, we would definitely recommend them. They are probably one of the best companies.”