THE owner of a Burnham-on-Sea care agency said she is 'chuffed to bits' after it received a 'good' rating from The Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors from the CQC visited the homes of people cared for by Dementia Care TLC on May 9 and in a report, published on June 6, they rated the centre as 'good' in all five areas.

The care agency, which is based in Burnham-on-Sea, provides care and support to more than 50 clients with dementia who are living in their own homes.

Jaqui Archer, owner of Dementia Care TLC, said care has been her passion for many years and praised her staff for their hard work.

"I am chuffed to bits with the rating as we have all worked really really hard, it is not something that happened overnight," Jaqui said.

"I worked for a care agency for two years and saw there were a number of problems and a lack of continuity in care so after I met my husband I bit the bullet and went out on my own in 2013.

"I started with just an apron and some gloves, I worked seven days a week for a year and had just a few clients, now I have 30 members of staff and nearly 60 clients working for me.

"We are different to other agencies as we have a team of four people working in an area with our clients, with dementia there needs to be continuity and they now know us as they see us regularly."

The CQC report praised staff for developing close relationships with their clients and said people said they felt safe when they were being cared for.

"People had a regular small team of staff who they knew, and had built relationships with," the report said.

"People were supported by staff who were motivated in their role. People told us the staff were kind, caring and they were treated with dignity and respect.

"People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs. Each person had a small dedicated team of staff who worked with them. This enabled staff to provide consistent care and support to people."

Jaqueline said she is excited for the future and staff are working hard so the agency can secure an 'outstanding' rating.

"It would be amazing to get an outstanding rating and we are just going to keep working hard to make sure we get there," Jaqui said.

"We are looking to get a mini-bus so we can take our clients out on trips to spots of local interest, we want to do things that stimulate them."