Dana Home Care

Updated 28 July 2026

We carried out this assessment from 25 June to 7 July 2026. The service is a care at home service providing personal care to people living in supported living settings. At the time of the assessment, the service supported approximately 23 people across multiple supported living properties, 13 of whom received the regulated activity of personal care. People lived in shared houses or individual flats and received care tailored to their needs from staff deployed within each service.

The service supports people with a learning disability and autistic people, as well as people with mental health needs and associated physical health conditions, who are living in their own homes. Many people required support with communication, managing distress and anxiety, and managing health needs, including multiple or changing conditions.

Care is delivered within a supported living model, where people's tenancy agreements are separate from their care arrangements. Staff are based within or allocated to specific services, which helps promote continuity of care and build consistent relationships.

The service provides person-centred care based on the principles of positive behaviour support and active support. People are supported to develop independence, maintain routines, and engage in activities in their local communities, including education, day services and social opportunities. Care is tailored to reflect people’s communication needs, preferences and life history, using visual aids, structured routines and personalised support approaches.

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We found staff worked in line with the MCA and applied restrictions proportionately. Where restrictions were in place, staff recorded clear decisions and involved families or advocates. People were not subject to unnecessary restrictions and were supported to maintain choice and control over their daily lives.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed autistic people and people with a learning disability respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

People were supported by staff who recognised risks and responded appropriately. Staff described clear processes for identifying and escalating concerns, including seeking medical support and involving external professionals. Safeguarding systems were understood and applied consistently. Staffing levels were sufficient, and rotas showed continuity of staff, which supported consistent care delivery. Medicines were managed safely, and staff followed clear processes when administering and recording medicines.

Staff assessed support needs and delivered care based on evidence. Staff monitored changes in people’s health and wellbeing and sought advice from professionals when required. Staff sought people's consent before providing care and support and demonstrated an understanding of capacity and best interest decision-making. Staff used structure and familiarity to reduce anxiety and support wellbeing.

Staff treated people with kindness and respect. Care was personalised and reflected people’s preferences, routines and life histories. People were involved in decisions about their care and were supported to maintain independence and make daily choices. Staff responded to people’s needs promptly and adapted care to minimise distress.

Staff involved people and those important to them in care planning and reviews. The provider monitored outcomes and adapted care when support requirements changed. The service promoted equity by ensuring people had equal access to activities, healthcare and community involvement.

Leaders promoted a positive and inclusive culture. Staff described managers as visible and approachable. Governance systems included audits, monitoring and regular review of incidents and performance. Leaders reviewed learning and made improvements where needed. Staff felt supported and were enabled to deliver care that was centred on people’s needs.

Updated 28 July 2026

We gathered people’s views through direct feedback and observation. Where people communicated non-verbally, we observed interactions and reviewed records to understand how care was delivered. Staff used communication methods such as gestures, visual prompts and structured routines to support people to express preferences and make decisions.

People spoke positively about their experience of care. A person told us they “love it here” and described staff as approachable and supportive. People said staff listened to them and responded when they needed help. Observations showed staff responded promptly to requests and supported people in a calm and respectful way. Relatives also spoke positively about the service and described it as “a happy place” for their family member. A relative told us, “[The person] is happy and relieved at [the service],” and another said, “[The person] seems happy.” Relatives described staff as kind and caring and said positive relationships had developed between staff and their family members.

Relatives told us staff understood the importance of maintaining established routines and personalised support for people with multiple needs. A relative told us, “[The person] is severely autistic. Routine is embedded in his head.” Another relative said staff understood their family member well, adding, “Yeah they do honestly.” People were supported to take part in activities that mattered to them, including community access, education, shopping, family visits and social engagement. Relatives gave examples of support with coffee trips, bus rides, park visits, shopping and maintaining important family relationships.

People were offered meaningful choices in their daily lives. This included choices about meals, activities, personal care and how they spent their time. Relatives described how staff supported people to make decisions whilst recognising when additional guidance was needed. A relative explained, “[The person] has to be guided.” Staff respected people’s choices and supported them to develop independence, including completing household tasks and managing aspects of daily living.Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity, particularly during personal care. People were supported to maintain relationships with family and others important to them. Relatives told us they were involved in reviews and discussions about care. A relative told us, “We work together to get the best.” Another relative told us, “[The operations manager] is very good, she listens and gets things done.” Another relative said, “We had direct communication with the registered manager. She was really positive.” A further relative described how concerns they had previously raised had been listened to and acted upon, including changes to staffing arrangements to provide greater consistency for their family member. Relatives also spoke positively about recent leadership within a service and 1 of them said, “Things have changed slowly, [the team leader] is trying and staff are listening to her.”

Some relatives identified opportunities to improve communication and information sharing between staff teams and families, particularly around day-to-day updates and handovers. A relative described communication as “hit and miss” and said information was not always passed on consistently between day and waking night staff. However, relatives remained positive about the care people received and the responsiveness of managers when concerns were raised.

Overall, people experienced care that was personalised, responsive and respectful, and which supported their independence, wellbeing and quality of life. Relatives told us they would recommend the service. A relative said, “It is a positive place for [the person] to be” while another told us, “If [the person] wasn’t happy, we would know.” Relatives consistently described people as settled, comfortable and well supported.