Meridian Health and Social Care - Tameside

The culture of the service was one of building positive relationships with people, not only making sure people were safe, but were happy and had a good quality of life. People spoke about looking forward to the visits from staff. One person had commented in their customer satisfaction survey, "I cannot thank you all enough for what you have done for me. I love each and every one of you, I really do."

People were placed at the centre of the service and were consulted on every level. Respect for privacy and dignity was at the heart of culture and values of the service. Everyone told us staff went out of their way to involve people in deciding on how they wanted to be cared for and supported.

Relatives told us the service had a positive effect in people's lives. For instance, one relative said, "[Staff] treat my parents so well. Mum has started singing again because all the staff sing with her. Lovely to hear her sing."

The training provided to staff was of a particularly high standard, and this had proven very beneficial for people. For instance, the staff induction training 'Boot Camp' made sure staff shared the values of care, compassion, communication, courage, competence and commitment from the very start of their employment. Staffs' specialist training in monitoring the health of people with particular health conditions had helped several people to stay in their own homes, where they wanted to be.

People were supported consistently by the same staff and regular checks on staff and their ability to do their jobs in a safe way meant people could be reassured they were receiving high quality care.

The service was especially well run. Staff and the registered manager shared the visions and values of the service and these were embedded within service delivery. There were systems to assess the quality of the service provided.

The service had won several nationally recognised awards. This included an award for providing a particularly high standard of care and support to people who were living with dementia, and another award, for caring for people who were at the end of their lives.

Staff worked in partnership with external health and social care professionals to ensure they supported people well. There was a very strong emphasis on continuous improvement. And the lessons learnt from incidents and people's feedback where used to improve the service further.

People and their relatives told us they received very safe care. Staff understood their responsibilities in protecting people from the risk of harm. Risks to people's well-being and their environment were detailed and updated when circumstances changed. People received support to take their medicines safely and as prescribed.