Outstanding: Harrogate care company named in UK’s top 1 per cent

Harrogate homecare provider Continued Care has been rated ‘outstanding’ following a recent inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Staff from Continued Care celebrating an Outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission.Staff from Continued Care celebrating an Outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission.
Staff from Continued Care celebrating an Outstanding rating from the Care Quality Commission.

The rating puts the family-run firm within the top one per cent of organisations assessed by the CQC nationally.

Inspectors praised its values and culture, highlighting the “exceptionally caring and responsive” person-centred care. They said the organisation was outstanding in the areas of care and leadership, and good in terms of safety, effectiveness and responsiveness.

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Continued Care was also thanked by the director of North Yorkshire County Council for the support they offer to the local community.

Continued Care director Samantha Harrison said: “We are a fast-paced, large agency yet we still manage to make our service friendly and personal. This is down to the amazing work our staff carry out every day, and reflects the care, 
compassion and support they deliver. It is a team effort and I am very grateful for all their support and commitment.”

The CQC report, published on December 22, follows a two-day site inspection in early November which included a comprehensive review of the service. Inspectors interviewed people who use Continued Care and their relatives, as well as staff from the care and management teams. They also reviewed care records, policies and procedures, and obtained views from the clinical commissioning group (CCG), social workers, health professionals, and the local authority.

Continued Care provides personal care to people living at home in the wider Harrogate district, working with older adults, people living with dementia, younger disabled adults, adults with a learning disability, and children.

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In their report, CQC inspectors said that the company’s values and culture had respect at their heart and were exemplified by all staff. They said service users described their care workers as “honest, trustworthy and respectful”, and that managers were “passionate about providing people with the very best care”.

They highlighted “numerous examples of individual acts of staff kindness, thought and attention to detail, which enhanced people’s wellbeing”. Examples included everything from hanging out washing or doing some ironing to more specific, personal acts such as a carer picking daffodils from their garden for a service user whose sight was failing because the carer had researched that yellow is the last colour to be clearly seen.

The report said that service-users and their relatives were “wholly positive and expressed a high degree of satisfaction with their care”, while staff spoke enthusiastically about their work and the organisation’s culture and core values.

Managers were praised for developing staff and making them feel valued, and inspectors highlighted the excellent relationships that exist between people who use the service, managers and staff, as well as the culture of openness and honesty.

Ms Harrison added: “Looking to the future, we intend to continue the momentum, build upon our service and always remember to ensure our clients get the best care possible.”