INSPECTORS have praised Inverclyde Council’s Care at Home service after a recent visit.
The service is run by the local health and social care partnership and cares for approximately 1,300 people across Inverclyde.
An unannounced inspection took place in November 2023 and the report now issued has hailed all areas as level five, ‘Very Good’.
During the six-day check, staff from the Care Inspectorate spoke to people using the service and their relatives, Care at Home staff and management. They also observed, and spoke to visiting professionals to put together their report, which has just been published.
It is the first time the service has been inspected since the pandemic and continues the run of level five ratings from previous reports published between 2015 and 2019.
Convener of the Social Work and Social Care Scrutiny Panel, Councillor Francesca Brennan, said: “This is a fantastic report and I’d like to congratulate all the hard-working staff providing this vital service.
“Having such a positive report, particularly after the pandemic, is credit to all involved and shows the commitment of all the staff.
“The service underwent a redesign earlier this year and it’s encouraging to see that this has gone down well with staff and the service users by giving them more consistency, regular care times and confidence in staff.
“It’s particularly heartening to read such positive feedback from service users and their families who feel the carers look after them with care, compassion and dignity.
“There are recruitment and absence challenges within the service but it’s to be celebrated that this hasn’t affected the high standards of care and professionalism.”
One area of improvement was highlighted with regards to the administration of medication, which had also been noted in the previous inspection from 2019. Inspectors observed that some progress had been made but that some more needed to be done.
The service is working alongside colleagues in pharmacy health to make these improvements.
