A Cumbrian home care provider has been rated good by the healthcare watchdog.
Bellcare, which has its headquarters in Workington, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission, which said it was good in all areas.
Debbie Ellwood, registered manager, said it was all about teamwork. It was the first inspection since she took on the leading role.
She has worked for the Cumbrian business for nearly 20 years, starting as a part-time carer and stepping up the career ladder to become the lead manager.
The Bellcare inspection lasted two days and involved the people the team care for, and their families, and the partners they work with, like local GPs, district nurses and adult social care providers. Every part of the care process is examined, from record keeping, training and health and safety, to the hands-on care itself.
Debbie said: “It’s teamwork that has got us here – I can’t take the credit. The managers, the carers and the admin team all work their socks off. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t see and, though I lead the team, behind me is a tremendous army of people who I am immensely proud of too.”
“This rating means so much to Bellcare. It has given us direction and showed us what we need to do to be even better.”
Inspectors said: “People and their relatives were consistently positive about the caring attitude of staff. One relative said, ‘I would give 10 out of 10 for the service, mainly because the staff are so engaging and caring and I wouldn’t change a thing’. A person also told us, ‘All of the care staff are very nice to me and nothing is too much trouble at all to them, whatever I want them to do for me they do with a big smile’.”
Bellcare offer home care across Cumbria for elderly and people with disabilities, and have specially-trained staff who have experience in caring for those with dementia. Its main headquarters is in Workington and they also have an office in Penrith.
