THE care firm which was asked to step in by Gloucestershire County Council to care for Stroud district residents following the collapse of a company last year has been given a 'good' rating by a care watchdog.

Human Support Group's Gloucestershire branch was praised by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for its work since taking over from Cleeve Link earlier this year.

More than 50 carers who stayed on unpaid to continue providing care following the company's liquidation now work for Human Support Group, which cares for 150 people in the district in their homes.

Inspectors said that the firm "had effectively managed the transition of people's care arrangements" at short notice following Cleeve Link's collapse.

They also praised carers for the respect they give to people receiving their support and for their professionalism.

Shirley Hoy, one of the people receiving care who was affected by the change in care company, said: “I think the transfer was brilliant and I had no problems at all, the carers during the transfer were all really good.

"I know they had some difficulties but it didn’t stop how they treated me and the professional care they gave me.”

Following the collapse of Cleeve Link, its work was divided between six firms by Gloucestershire County Council, with Human Support Group covering Stroud district.

A number of Cleeve Link's employees continued to work unpaid and following Human Support Group's takeover were given pay rises.

Care assistant Krystyna Uniewicz, said: “I’m very, very happy with the transfer.

"I love the atmosphere here and appreciate working for Human Support Group.

"I was very satisfied when my hourly rate of pay was increased as soon as we transferred.”

Dan O’Donoghue, Human Support Group managing director said: “We worked very closely with Gloucestershire County Council at all stages of the transfer to ensure that staff and service users were aware of every stage of the process.

"The Gloucestershire branch is relatively new and I am really proud of how the team, old and new, has managed the transfer and achieved a very positive first CQC inspection result.”