Top marks for social care service that goes 'above and beyond'
A vital service providing care to more than 1,000 adults across Lancashire has been praised for going 'above and beyond' to give excellent service to its customers.
Lancashire County Council's Older People's Care Service has achieved the national Customer Service Excellence standard and been given special recognition for the hard work of its staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The service runs 16 care homes and 13 day centres where staff provide support for older people, adults living with dementia and their families.
Support includes personal care, social activities and rehabilitation to help people regain their independence after a stay in hospital.
The inspector was particularly pleased that staff went 'above and beyond' normal service standards when Covid-19 restrictions meant that day centres had to close.
County Councillor Phillippa Williamson, leader of Lancashire County Council, said: "Staff in our older people's care service team always do all they can to put the people they support first. I'm glad their hard work is paying off and being recognised.
"There are lots of positives in the report, but I was particularly pleased to read about the team scoring a 'compliance Plus' rating for the work of day centre staff when the buildings had to close due to the national restrictions.
"Staff showed their initiative and contacted people who use the service and their families regularly to ensure they were okay.
"One day centre user particularly enjoyed quiz activities. His support worker would regularly contact him to play a quiz game over the phone with him while the buildings were closed. This made a huge difference to him and his family at such a difficult time.
"Supporting vulnerable people is one of the county council's priorities and this is a great example of how we do this.
"Being accredited with the Customer Service Excellence mark is tremendous news. Congratulations to everyone involved for their hard work."
Chris Bagshaw, head of the older people's care service team, added: "Everyone has worked so hard to get this accolade.
"Inspectors highlighted lots of good practice, from the caring and attentive way we deal with people who use our service and their families, to our strong working relationship with suppliers and partner organisations. We want to build on this to make even more improvements.
"I'm really proud of everyone who works in this service. A huge well done for all your hard work."
Notes to editors
- Comments from service users and next of kin, which were highlighted in the inspection report, included: “The staff are fabulous. They provide great care, there is a lovely atmosphere, the manager is great. It’s a strong team and they’re always asking if everything is all-right. They’re great at calming and re-assuring people, which shows how well they are trained.”
- Partners and suppliers commented that: “They’re really engaged and easy to work with, they’re behind everything we are trying to do.”
- Comments from county council staff included: “I love caring for people – I feel it’s a privilege I am allowed to be with people at the end of life. If we don’t think something is working, we can go to the manager and she will ask us what we think we should do. They trust us to do a good job and don’t stand over us with a clipboard checking what we are doing.”