Hamilton Care at Home Service recognised for exceptional care standards

-Credit:ugc
-Credit:ugc


South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership’s Hamilton Care at Home Service is celebrating a remarkable transformation following its latest inspection by the Care Inspectorate.

Health chiefs say this underscores what can be achieved through an ongoing dedication to quality standards, compassion and teamwork.

The Hamilton Care at Home Service has risen from the low of an unsatisfactory performance in 2018 to the high of achieving a “Very Good” rating across all key areas in 2024.

And the Care Inspectorate’s report highlights significant improvements in care quality, staff development, leadership and service delivery. Inspectors praised the team’s commitment to ensuring person-centred care, their responsiveness to service users’ changing needs and their strong focus on staff training and wellbeing.

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Feedback included glowing reports of the staff, with one service user saying “I’m so grateful,” , while the team were referred to as “wonderful” and “dedicated”.

Professor Soumen Sengupta, chief officer for South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) expressed his pride in the service’s achievements. He said: “Re-establishing confidence in and securing external assurance of the quality of our Hamilton Care at Home Service has been a priority for our leadership team.

“This hard-won recognition is a testament to the relentless dedication of our Hamilton Care at Home team and their management in taking forward the changes that have been necessary with our staff and for our service users.

“Our Care at Home Services play a key role in ensuring that we are able to support as many people as we can to live as independently as they can at home and within their communities – and so make an important contribution to the wider range of actions being undertaken to improve unscheduled care and tackle delayed discharges.

“Having seen first-hand how our Care at Home staff support our service users, it is fantastic to see their diligence, resilience and adaptability being commended in such glowing terms by the Care Inspectorate.

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“Care at home services across Scotland continue to contend with significant pressures, and so alongside expressing my appreciation to the staff within our local services I would also extend my thanks to our local communities for their support.”

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The 2018 inspection report had highlighted serious concerns, including poor quality of care assessments, inadequate staff training and a lack of effective leadership. Service users and families had expressed dissatisfaction with inconsistent carers and poor communication.

By contrast, the 2024 inspection lauds the service for its robust quality assurance systems, skilled and compassionate staff, and consistently positive feedback from service users and their families.

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Operations managers Eileen Johnston and Sharron Mundy were full of praise for the team’s accomplishments. Eileen said: “We are incredibly proud of every member of our team for their hard work, compassion, and unwavering commitment to improvement. The positive and warm feedback we have received from service users has also added to our motivation and is very much appreciated.”

Chair of the South Lanarkshire Council Social Work Resources Committee, Councillor Margaret Walker, also congratulated the team on their exceptional achievements. She said: “This remarkable transformation is a shining example of how dedication, teamwork and a focus on continuous improvement can deliver outstanding results.

“The Hamilton Care at Home Service and its management have done themselves, and us, proud, and in doing so have highlighted again the difference that effective and compassionate social care make day-in-and-day-out across the area.”

Lesley McDonald, chair of the Integration Joint Board (IJB), commended the collaborative efforts behind the success. She added: “The progress made by the Hamilton Care at Home Service has been exceptional, especially given the relentless challenges facing our health and social care services.

“From our staff working on-the-ground across to our leadership team, this assessment by the Care Inspectorate underlines how important the collective impact of their work is to ensuring that individuals receive the right level of care to meet their needs within the heart of our communities.”

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Key highlights from the 2024 report include:

■ Person-centred care: Detailed care plans tailored to individual needs and preferences, ensuring service users’ dignity and independence.

■ Staff development: Comprehensive training programmes and reflective practice sessions that equip carers with the skills to provide high-quality care.

■ Leadership and innovation: A clear strategic vision and strong quality assurance processes that drive continuous improvement.

■ Service user satisfaction: Overwhelmingly positive feedback –

The service’s transformation was driven by a commitment to learning and adapting, incorporating feedback from service users and families, and introducing initiatives to improve staff wellbeing and consistency. Reflective training sessions, including impactful workshops on medication safety, have further enhanced the quality of care.

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