- Homecare service
Independence at home Limited
We served 17 Warning Notices on 14 September 2026 to Independence at home Limited for failing to meet the regulations related to good governance.
Assessment report published 12 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 24 to 28 August 2026.
Independence at home Limited provides a domiciliary care service to adults with a range of conditions. The service is registered to provide personal care to older and younger adults.
At the time of the inspection, the domiciliary care service was supporting 9 people with their personal care needs.
We found the provider to be in breach of regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, safeguarding and good governance. In instances where the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.
Systems for managing and reporting safety events were not always in place. Care plans did not always provide adequate information about people’s needs, which meant staff did not always have access to clear guidance to support people safely.
Staff had not always received training that was relevant to people’s needs, this increased the risk of people receiving unsafe care and support from untrained staff.
While staff meetings took place on a regular basis, lessons learnt were not always discussed within meetings, which limited staff opportunities to learn form previous incidents.
Governance arrangements were not always robust or effective, which meant there were missed opportunities to share lessons and drive service improvement.
Policies and procedures were in place to support people and staff. People received adequate transitions into the service.
The application of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) were followed for people regarding their care.
There was a process to report concerns and we saw evidence people, relatives and staff were confident these would be taken seriously.
Staff had a good awareness of people’s needs and preferences.
People and relative views were obtained regarding people’s care.
Safe staff recruitment processes were followed, and a positive and inclusive environment was promoted by the provider for staff.
People's experience of this service
People and a relative told us they felt safe when supported by staff. However, safety events involving people being exposed to harm were not always managed and reported to ensure incidents were understood, learnt from and shared with relevant agencies. We also found care plans and risk assessments did not always contain adequate information about people’s needs, and staff did not always have the training relevant to people’s needs. These findings could impact negatively on people’s experience.
People and relatives explained they maintained contact with the provider and knew how to raise concerns with the provider, and they had no concerns the provider would not take concerns seriously. A person told us, “I’ve got their [the provider’s] number; I would contact them if I needed to with no hesitation.”
We were told by people and relatives that staff had the skills to meet people’s needs and that they knew people well.