- Homecare service
Creative Support - Cecil Gardens
Assessment report published 12 February 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 24 November to 18 December 2025. Creative Support – Cecil Gardens provides personal care to people living within their own homes. The service supports both older and younger people including people living with dementia, people with a learning disability or autistic people and people with physical disabilities. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our assessment, there were 18 people receiving personal care and support. This is the first assessment for Creative Support – Cecil Gardens.
We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.
People were safe and protected from the risk of avoidable harm. There was a culture of learning from incidents to drive improvements. Safeguarding responsibilities were understood and information was shared transparently with the relevant agencies. The service was compliant with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act. The provider operated safe recruitment practices and staff received training for their role. We discussed the need to ensure staff received training to support people with their individual needs with the provider. Medicines were safely managed, however, time specific medicines had not been given correctly to people who required this. The provider addressed this immediately. Detailed risk assessments were in place however, these had not been consistently updated to reflect changes in need.
People received effective support. Appropriate referrals were made to other agencies for advice and support. The provider sought to understand what people wanted from their care, and information was available in different formats tailored to people’s needs. Staff understood the importance of seeking consent.
Staff treated people with kindness and compassion. People’s privacy, dignity and independence was promoted. Some staff told us their well-being had been significantly affected because of the changes made in the running of the service. They did not always feel they could raise concerns.
Person-centred information was available to guide how care was provided. Staff knew the people they cared for. The provider understood the importance of caring well for people at the end of their lives and training and information helped guide staff practice.
The provider was keen to ensure an environment of learning and improvement. Members of the provider’s management team were regularly at the service helping to drive improvements and promote continuity. Routes were available for staff to raise concerns. Checks and audits were completed to assess the quality and safety of the service, but these had not always been effective in identifying areas for improvements. For example, time specific medicines were not administered at the correct time, and risk assessments did not always contain relevant information.
People's experience of this service
People told us they felt safe with the support they received. One person said, “Yes, I feel safe. The staff here are good, and they will do anything I ask.” People noted there had been improvements in terms of consistency and reliability of staff, but some felt this could be further improved. The service was flexible and responded when people need extra support. One person stated, “They tell me if you want anything, just ask for it and we’ll get it." Staff supported people to access health appointments if this was needed.
Most people told us staff were well-trained, however some noted there could be improvements in areas such as cooking and helping people to maintain their home.
People received person-centred care. The provider arranged a calendar of events which people were invited to attend, with the aim of fostering inclusion and community. People had key workers who were responsible for maintaining contact and understanding what people wanted to achieve from their care. This helped people to build relationships.
People were not clear about who was managing the service. They felt confident they could raise their concerns with a member of the team and that this would usually be addressed. People were invited to share their feedback about the running of the service, and this was used to drive improvement.
Staff knew the people they cared for, and we observed they were respectful and attentive in their approach. People told us staff were kind, their comments included, “We couldn’t ask for better staff than we’ve got,” “They are kind and caring,” and, “The staff are beautiful.”