Home Instead

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. At this assessment the rating has remained outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 93 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider set very positive culture that valued reflection, learning and improvement. The registered manager effectively used staff supervision and regular team meetings as a platform for staff to raise any concerns and an opportunity to share their views and opinions. They told us, “Our ethos is we want to be the best homecare provider for our community. What we mean by that is to provide the care that people deserve at a stage of their life where they feel vulnerable and to give them this opportunity. Add a bit of joy, safety and security and generally an opportunity to live the life they want to live.”

The positive culture and ethos of the company was shared by the staff, who demonstrated a deep commitment and care for people they supported. For example, a staff member commented, “I feel more people should experience caring and understand the true meaning of what it offers. Some people may not realise how active and alert some elderly people can be. How much they can share in their own lives…they are still living and have a lot to give. A lot of the elderly just want companionship and not to be ignored. To be respected for the things they can still do as well as the things they need help with. Don't be judgemental, they are human too and have feelings.”

People we spoke with knew who the registered manager was and were positive about them and the service. A relative told us, “The manager is very nice, very efficient and always gets back to me… We have now had 6 years of stress-free time with these, so we thoroughly recommend.”

The management team told us they ensured the staff were valued and promoted people’s individuality, protected their rights and enabled them to thrive. Care staff told us there was a good and positive culture within the service where people and staff had a good rapport, and the atmosphere was one of respect and care. Their comments included, “The manager is very approachable and fair to all”, “Staff morale is very high. They are always cheerful and happy to help” and “Very good. Some staff have worked at Home Instead for a number of years. This is acknowledged with a gift. Good sign of a good company.”

The provider had exceptionally inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The provider explained, “We believe that outstanding care is dependent upon outstanding leadership. Our approach is therefore not simply to appoint capable managers, but to invest continuously in their development, confidence, judgement and ability to lead others. Leadership development is treated as an ongoing strategic priority rather than something addressed only through mandatory training or annual appraisal.”

The provider believed leadership development was an investment in care quality. Leaders were supported and encouraged to learn from one another and were given access to independent professional coaching. The aim of this was to create a culture in which continuous learning, openness, professional challenge and improvement are embedded throughout the organisation. A coach had described sustained openness to learning, stronger use of performance intelligence and positive effects on relationships with care staff, clients and families.

People and relatives were positive about the management team. People told us they felt listened to and their concerns taken seriously. Relatives stated, “Very good, I can get through, they come and check on the carers regularly and do 3/4 monthly reviews. Everyone respects each other… we have just recommended to a friend of ours. [Care staff] knows about dementia care which is a specialised subject and [they] really do care about [family member.”

The management team was visible and supportive of the staff. Care staff told us, “All staff in the office are happy to talk/discuss any concerns you have and help to resolve these, when possible, we are listened to”, “The care managers and training staff are always available to support and answer questions” and “I have been very impressed with how approachable all the staff are. I have complete peace of mind to phone any of the office staff and make a visit to the office. I am always welcomed at the office and receive offers of any help and advice.”

The registered manager was experienced and had worked their way up from care worker. They told us, “Most of us here have been carers. They all do a fabulous job. They want to see people being supported to be where they want to be. We have high standards, consistency. It is relationship-led. Being able to provide that to a person feeling vulnerable is a very special thing.”

The provider was exceptional at fostering a positive culture where people knew they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People were given information when they started using the service about how to raise a concern and said they knew how to make a complaint.

Staff knew about the provider’s whistleblowing policy and would not hesitate to use this to benefit staff and people living at the home. A care staff told us, “Whistleblowing is when a worker reports suspected wrongdoing at work, making a disclosure in the public interest, escalating concerns. There are copies of Home Instead policies on the notice board in the office. I have not ever had to do this.”

The most recent staff survey indicated that 100% said it was safe to speak up, challenge practice or raise a concern, and all believed that managers would act on feedback. This was evident when a staff member did not hesitate to report a safeguarding incident they witnessed. Evidence showed that appropriate action was taken immediately to protect the person and involve the relevant agencies.

The provider used feedback they received through surveys and supervision and created a ‘You Said-We Did’ document. This outlined concerns raised and what action was being taken to make the necessary improvements. For example, a survey showed that not all staff felt outstanding performance was appropriately rewarded. The provider increased their focus on collating compliments, identifying exceptional care and recognizing and sharing positive practice. This resulted in the staff feeling listened to and appreciated for their hard work and dedication.

The provider had processes in place to support staff to speak up. This included supervision meetings, staff meetings and a whistleblowing policy. A care worker told us, “Team meetings are held every three months, I happily attend the meetings, as these are invaluable. The meetings offer opportunities to ask questions, have news updates on Home Instead, have extra training, often through role play exercises where we can participate.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff told us they enjoyed working in a diverse team. The managers treated their staff equally and supported them to meet their individual needs. For example, reasonable adjustments to working patterns were made as necessary, such as staff being unwell, having surgery or undergoing bereavement. Staff were supported with return-to-work meetings, to discuss any concerns they may have and agree a plan going forward. This support helped staff feel valued and appreciated.

The provider had policies to promote equality, diversity and inclusion and to protect staff from discrimination and harassment. The registered manager told us, “A member of the team recently diagnosed with [medical condition]. Reasonable adjustments have been put in place to help them.”

Some clients for whom English was not their first language were paired with staff who shared the same language. The registered manager told us, “This has worked very well. People have different beliefs too. It’s about us knowing what they need and meet their needs.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and exceptional governance systems. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The registered manager, head of live-In care and group finance controller produced and reviewed monthly reports with the owner and their teams. Performance trends were translated into operational priorities, ownership and follow-up actions. This review cycle has contributed to significant business-performance growth over the last six months.

Staff at all levels understood their roles and their level of accountability fostering a transparent culture where data-driven insights continuously elevated care standards. Office staff and care staff worked very well together and understood how their duties impacted and supported the other. Robust, proactive systems were in place for monitoring service quality, to identify and mitigate risks before they could impact care delivery. Action was taken when audits identified the need for improvement. The registered manager told us, “Our vision is to support as many people as we can maintaining the high standards we currently have.”

The office team worked consistently well to ensure people received high-quality, deeply personalised care at all times. To build on this, the provider recently recruited a dedicated training manager to oversee compliance, complete staff competencies, and implement training that went beyond mandatory requirements. Additionally, a specialised management team member focused entirely on staff welfare and retention through structured appraisals and holistic support visits. This led to a high staff retention rate, ensuring people enjoyed exceptional continuity of care from familiar and trusted staff. Day-to-day operations and compliance were monitored by two deputy managers, while an enquiry specialist managed initial assessments and co-produced care plans alongside clients and their families to guarantee their voices shaped the service.

These strong governance systems and oversight provided a stable team which had consistent, direct impact on people using the service.

Staff, people, relatives and external professionals had confidence in the leadership of the service. A staff member told us, “Our registered manager is fantastic at encouraging, listening and supporting, and training. The team meetings definitely offer opportunities for communication, encouragement and confidence building, staying in touch with staff, and colleagues, and being valued.”

There were weekly multidisciplinary meetings where the team discussed evolving people’s needs, shared best practices, and proactively adjusted care plans to champion positive, life-changing outcomes for everyone they supported.The registered manager told us, “We have team meetings once a quarter. We discuss feedback, learning, what do we need to tweak, what is working well or not so well. I have one to ones with each staff member.”

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The provider believed in partnership working, community contribution and leadership beyond the boundaries of commissioned care. They supported a local reminiscence café, and this support had increased the range and diversity of community activities available to older people.

The registered manager told us they worked with healthcare professionals so people’s needs would be met and had a good working relationship with them. People’s care plans reflected recommendations from healthcare professionals were recorded and followed by the care workers.

The provider had systems and processes to ensure people’s needs were reviewed regularly. The provider listened to feedback from professionals and where a need was identified, amended their policies and procedures to promote effective communication and partnership working.

The registered manager told us they ensured the staff learned from healthcare professionals involved in people’s care to help them better understand people’s needs.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The managers were passionate about finding innovative ways to monitor the service, and to make improvements which ultimately benefitted people and improved their outcomes. The registered manager told us, “[One of the leaders] has done wonderful things in our [Another branch]. [They] want to remove barriers so everyone can thrive. [They are] very forward thinking, without dropping standards.”

The provider had developed their own AI-powered quality assurance platform to provide continuous oversight of the care delivery at a scale that would be impossible through manual auditing alone. One of the leaders explained, “Rather than replacing professional judgement, it acts as an intelligent management tool that enables our leadership team to identify risks, monitor quality and intervene proactively to improve outcomes for clients.”

The tool rapidly audited thousands of visit notes, highlighting patterns that would be difficult to detect through manual sampling alone. It identified issues such as missed or inconsistent care tasks, changes in people's needs and medicines anomalies. It also monitored eMAR compliance, enabling managers to identify trends, investigate exceptions and ensure medicines are administered safely and consistently. A manager stated, “Earlier identification of emerging risks has resulted in safer care, continuous improvement in quality and greater confidence that people receive outstanding care that reflect their individual needs, preferences and aspirations.”

We saw evidence of this when concerns were identified about the wellbeing of a person using the service. The tool was able to quickly summarise the person’s background from recorded logs. This highlighted a range of patterns, for example, persistent concerns about personal hygiene, dressing and clothing. This was a risk to the person’s dignity, skin health, comfort and social confidence. This prompted a review of the frequency and content of hygiene and domestic-support visits to the person. The provider presented one of the leaders and founder of the AI tool with their 2025 ‘Award for Innovation’ at the Annual Celebration event in February 2026.