A CARE service has been praised for its hard-working staff and support to older people in Helensburgh.

Carers Direct Limited, which provides a care at-home service to adults and older people living in their own homes across Argyll and Bute, has been described as "refreshing" by an inspector from the Care Inspectorate during their unannounced visits in October this year.

The facility, based on James Street in the town, was rated 'very good' - one of the highest accolades an organisation can get - for both its support of people's wellbeing and their leadership.

The Care Inspectorate spoke highly of the support that the staff provided and how well received they are by the users of the service.

It stated: "Staff were consistently observed to offer support with kindness, gentleness and, where needed, with a good dose of fun.

"One person was positively beaming when the worker arrived, their joy was clearly visible.

"Everyone spoke very highly of the staff and their role in providing support. People and their families truly value all staff at Carers Direct, this is a testament to the staff's hard work and commitment to providing a good service to all."

The inspector found that the staff were mindful of the people's mental health as they responded to changes in people's needs.

The report added: "They were praised by various family members for recognising when a health professional was required and for following up such support.

"It was also refreshing to see that there was a recognition of people's emotional wellbeing and the development of training around loneliness which was being rolled out across the staff team. .

"This reassured us that staff were thinking beyond task-based work and looking at a person's overall needs."

It was also highlighted that the service was consistent due to the high level of communication between staff, their colleagues and their supervisors.

It continued: "Staff worked as a team and recognised their role in making the team work whether from sharing information or from seeking it from colleagues.

"This helped to promote a consistent service for people because staff knew what to do and when.

"Self-evaluation was used in the service which allowed managers to reflect on how the service was meeting people's needs.

"This reassured us that the leadership team were mindful of improvement and was not complacent about the service."

A spokesperson from Carers Direct Ltd said: "We know that the past few years have been very challenging, physically and mentally exhausting, and required a continual ability to adapt to ever-changing circumstances. 

"And yet despite this, or maybe because of this, we have grown stronger as a team.  I’m so proud of every care worker, admin team member and manager. 

"And while I already knew how well we are doing, it’s also nice to have this externally recognised, more formally and publicly."

For more information and job opportunities at Carers Direct Ltd visit carersdirect.com/vacancies/.