- Homecare service
UBU - Harrogate
Assessment report published 17 September 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 27 July to 20 August 2026, including a site visit to the office on 27 and 28 July 2026. We also visited a selection of people who use the service in their own homes between 28 July and 7 August to gather information and feedback about their experience of the care provided. UBU Harrogate provides supported living services; some people lived on their own, and others shared a home with other people or lived in an individual flat within a larger property. The service primarily supports people with a learning disability and autistic people. The UBU Harrogate office is the headquarters for support provided to people across the North East of England, the North West, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire. At the time of the assessment, the service was supporting 356 people, but not all these people received the regulated activity of personal care. Personal care includes help with tasks relating to personal hygiene and eating. This assessment only covers the support provided to people with a regulated activity.
The service provided good quality, person-centred care which met people’s needs and preferences. People were supported to make choices, develop independence and achieve meaningful outcomes, including building confidence and skills. Staff were safely recruited, appropriately trained and supervised. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs.
Care planning and support were highly individualised, with detailed assessments focusing on people’s strengths, preferences, communication needs and ambitions. Staff showed a good understanding of people's needs and delivered support in ways that promoted dignity, choice and independence.
The provider demonstrated commitment to safety, learning and continuous improvement. Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and worked proactively to manage risks while supporting people to live fulfilling lives. Staff worked in partnership with healthcare professionals. There was good communication within teams and positive approaches to reducing restrictive practices. Staff supported people to ensure their homes were clean, personalised and well-maintained.
While appropriate action was generally taken to keep people safe, aspects of record keeping were sometimes inconsistent, including incident reporting, post-incident reviews and some safeguarding documentation. Medicines systems were mostly safe, but there were gaps in medication recording, inconsistencies between documents and insufficient detail in some protocols for medicines prescribed 'as required'. Auditing processes had not always identified these issues before the assessment. The provider took prompt action to address this.
Overall, the provider had a positive, open and inclusive culture led by approachable and knowledgeable managers. There were two managers registered with CQC due to the size and geographical scope of the service. They worked alongside a senior management team and local team leaders. Staff felt valued and well supported. Although improvements were needed to strengthen governance systems and aspects of record keeping, the provider was responsive to feedback, worked collaboratively with external partners and remained focused on achieving positive outcomes and a good quality of life for people.
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. The provider was working in line with these principles.
People's experience of this service
People received person-centred care from staff who were kind and respectful. People and most relatives spoke positively about the service and described staff as caring and supportive. People told us they felt safe, happy and well cared for, and most relatives expressed confidence that their loved ones received good quality support. Comments included that staff were “brilliant” and “very caring and attentive.” People also spoke positively about their homes, their relationships with staff and the support they received to live the lives they wanted.
People were actively involved in making decisions about their care and support and were encouraged to maintain and develop their independence. Many described having choice and control over their daily lives, including deciding how they spent their time, completing household tasks and pursuing personal interests.
People and relatives had opportunities to provide feedback about the service and make suggestions. This included involvement in reviews, meetings and surveys. Most felt listened to and said they would be comfortable raising concerns or complaints if needed. Action was taken to investigate and address concerns raised. Relatives described communication as open, frank and professional, although some felt communication was an area which could be improved.
The support people received had helped them achieve meaningful outcomes and improve their quality of life. Examples included increased confidence, greater independence, healthier lifestyles, developing new friendships, accessing education and voluntary work, and taking holidays of their choice.