THE SERVICE provided by Stroud-based homecare company DoCare has been praised by a government watchdog as “caring”, “responsive” and “well-led” following a recent inspection.

The report published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), following a two-day inspection in November, graded the provider as “Good” in all categories, which also took into consideration the safety and effectiveness of the care given.

DoCare provides support for adults to enable them to carry on living in their own homes, covering Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Bristol and West Oxfordshire, and supporting a mix of private clients and those referred by social services across the area.

In the report, it references discussions with staff, who said there “there was an open culture and the environment was an enjoyable place to work”, with everyone “extremely passionate” about their jobs and an integral feeling towards the process of providing care.

Inspectors say they observed staff supporting people in a caring and patient way, with staff knowing the people they supported and how they liked to be supported, with “an emphasis on promoting their rights to privacy, dignity, choice and independence”.

Care plans were also considered to be “person centred to provide consistent, high quality care and support” with daily records and visit notes being detailed and containing sufficient information for staff to read and support people effectively.

Co-directors and founders, Steve and Una Mills, said they were thrilled with the report, which is among the best the company has received in its 13-year history.

Mr Mills said: “This is a wonderful reflection on our fantastic team’s dedication to social care and in particular their care and commitment to our clients.

“Everybody, from the support team who provide the care, to the team who handle our 6am to 11pm on-call system, to the head office team and managers, play their part in providing the very best level of service to our clients.”

The inspector also commented that DoCare was well-led, with regular quality assurance checks and audits carried out, and actions taken to improve the service.

Mrs Mills added: “It is wonderful to receive such positivity in a climate where we hear a lot about the things that are perhaps not going so well for the care sector.”