- Homecare service
Unit 2N, First Floor
Assessment report published 9 November 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Unit 2N, First Floor, referred to as Carers Direct in this report, is a home care provider providing personal care to people in their own homes. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects services where personal care is provided this includes assistance with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where applicable, any wider social care provided is also considered. At the time of assessment, the service was supporting 19 people with personal care.The service provides support to people living with dementia, those with mental health conditions, people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments.
We carried out this assessment between 8 and 21 October 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.
People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment when this is in their best interests and legally authorised under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).Where people may need to be deprived of their liberty in order to receive care and treatment in their own homes, an application can be made to the Court of Protection who can authorise deprivations of liberty. We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and found it was. No people using the service were currently subject to any Court of Protection authorisations.
People’s care requirements had been assessed prior to them receiving support from the service and were regularly reviewed to ensure people received care and support to meet their current needs.
Care plans, risk assessments and medicines records supported people to maintain choice, control and independence. Care records were fully accessible to staff, and we received positive feedback from the staff team about the content and information contained within care records.
There were systems in place to safeguard people from abuse. Staff we spoke with understood their responsibilities in relation to identifying and escalating safeguarding concerns. Environmental risks in people's homes had been assessed to ensure staff safety when providing care. There were systems in place to support safe and effective lone working, and staff told us communication from the service management was good.
Staff had been recruited safely and received an induction, training and regular supervision to support them in their role. Staff meetings took place and staff had opportunities to share knowledge and learning. There were effective systems to ensure people had a stable staff team supporting them, which built friendship and trust, this also promoted continuity in people’s care. Care staff confirmed they had time to ensure all care needs were provided during visits.
Care staff always asked people for consent before providing care and ensured people’s dignity and independence were maintained and supported. People were supported to be independent and have choice and control over their lives. Staff we spoke with were very passionate about providing a high standard of care to people. One staff member said, “My clients have all earned my respect, so giving compassionate care to them is a privilege, a pleasure.”
There were a number of channels for people to share their views and provide feedback. People and staff felt able to raise any concerns and felt these would be appropriately responded to. There were systems to observe care provision by the service management to ensure care delivery was of a high standard.
The service was well managed. Staff were very positive about their employment and the service management. Governance systems and regular auditing and oversight supported the service to continue to provide safe and effective care. The registered manager had good oversight of the service and supported the team to provide a high standard of care for people.
People's experience of this service
People and their relatives told us they felt safe with the care team and provided positive feedback. One person when asked about the staff told us, “I’m very lucky, they are more like friends.” Another person said, “Yes they are lovely people, we have some nice chats.”
People and their relatives told us that they were involved in designing their package of care and told us the staff at the service consistently met their needs. A relative told us, “They let mum lead in any decision mainly around her daily routine.” Another relative told us, “They always ask what he [person using the service] prefers to eat and drink and wear, where he wants to go for a coffee, he loves going out with them.”
People and their relatives described how staff where competent at their roles and provided safe care and support. A relative said, “my experience of the carers is they have been very nice, really lovely people; they have a very nice manner and are very professional.” Another relative said an “extremely high standard of care” was delivered.
Relatives described how care staff closely monitored health changes and reported these appropriately and promptly, with 1 relative telling us, “They noticed pressure damage, they sent a message to the office for the district nurses to come and for GP to take a look.” Medicines were well managed and staff ensured people remembered to take them. One person said, “A carer takes me out on a Wednesday and we collect my prescription, carers do get my medication ready and leave with water for me to take.”
People’s feedback was overwhelmingly positive regarding the reliability and punctuality of care calls. Most people had a stable staff team with additional cover arrangements over the holiday periods. Changes were communicated to people. A relative said, “They are generally always on time, but let me know if any changes.” Another told us, “The office communicate very well with me.”
People and their relatives consistently described appropriate infection prevention and control practices. A relative told us, “They always wear PPE when attending to mums personal care.”
When we asked people and their relatives for their overall views of the service we received very positive responses. A relative we spoke with said, “I am very relieved I found an agency like this; they came highly recommended from a family friend.” Another relative told us, “All the help we have had has been excellent, they are worth their weight in gold. They always go the extra mile, asking if there is anything else they can do to help me.”