Archived: Ark Home Healthcare Crowthorne

Generally people said they received care from reliable and committed staff. One person said "The carers are brilliant, very kind". However, one person said the service had recently become 'hit and miss' and another person commented that they had been 'badly let down' and 'had missed calls' over the Christmas period.

The staff in the agency's office were courteous and respectful to people on the telephone. They were knowledgeable about people's individual needs and were responsive to any requests and changes.

We found that people had been fully assessed prior to the start of a service. People's records were well documented and up to date.

Staff received appropriate training to ensure they could meet the needs of people using the service. They received an induction and mandatory training before starting work. Staff told us the frequency of group and one to one meetings had decreased in recent months due to senior staff shortages.

The service had a quality assurance system in place, which sought the views of people receiving a service. People were generally complementary about the quality of staff who provided their care. We received comments such as "lovely staff", "really professional".

People who used the service told us they had been fully involved in planning their care and had been given the opportunity to say how they wished to be cared for. People said they had received a copy of their care plan and had agreed its content. People told us they were asked what they needed and were actively encouraged to be fully involved in their care plan and reviews. Every attempt was made to provide the service in a way that met the expressed needs of the individual. Care plans were centred on the person and care was tailored to meet the needs of the individual.

People we spoke with told us staff were always polite and courteous and their dignity, privacy and choice were always respected. They told us office staff were always quick to respond to queries and requests and made them feel like their enquiry was important to the agency. The majority of people said if there was a need to change the time of a visit, or if different staff were visiting them, office staff informed them of the alternative arrangements.