Islington's Home Care service for adults with Alzheimers disease, dementia and other complex needs has received an 'excellent' rating from The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI).
CSCI - the government's care watchdogs - visited Islington's Home Care service in February and met seven service users and their families, four carers and inspected their choice of paperwork in a thorough inspection.
Their report states inspectors are particularly pleased with the respect shown for service users' individual needs and wishes regarding privacy, dignity, independence and lifestyle.
They comment: "Service users report care workers are very kind and helped them to maintain as much control over their lives as was possible".
Cllr Ursula Woolley, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, Islington Council said:
"We redesigned Islington's Home Care service last year to make it concentrate more on users' independence, on the range of choices open to them, and to make sure their quality of life was better all round.
"I am delighted this inspection report confirms we were right to make the changes we did.
"We'll shortly be announcing further improvements which will mean that users of our services and their home carers enjoy some of the best services and conditions in the country."
Islington Council decided in June 2008 to retain the Home Care Complex Needs Service rather than outsource it. This led to a reshaping and subsequent rebuilding of the service.
Islington's Adult Social Care Service has retained its '3 Star' rating - the highest rating that CSCI can give - for a second consecutive year.
Over 4,000 adults receive services each week ranging from dementia care and residential nursing care to home care, meal on wheels, day centre social clubs and physiotherapy.
Cllr Woolley continued: "It's a tribute to the commitment of our home carers that we were able to keep the service going in the recent snow. At a time when tubes and buses were down, care staff went to great lengths to operate the service as normal, working extra hours to make sure client visits went ahead."
For more information about Islington's Home Care service, please call 020 7527 2000.
ENDS
Page Last Updated: 12 June 2009