- Homecare service
Gaia Home Care Ltd
Report from 19 July 2025 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 21 July to 13 August 2025. Gaia Home Care Ltd is a care at home service providing personal care and support to adults of all ages some of whom were living with dementia and physical disabilities. Not everyone using the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of this assessment there were 8 people receiving personal care. This was the first assessment of the service and we reviewed all key questions and quality statements. The outcome of this assessment was a rating for the service.
The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Lessons were learned from incidents and the provider encouraged members of staff to use reflective practice to improve delivery of care and support. People's needs were assessed before they started using the service and people, and their representatives, were involved in the assessment process. The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way for this to be achieved. The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs which was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things which mattered to them. The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. Members of staff worked together well to provide safe care which met people’s individual needs. The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly. The provider made sure medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences.
People's needs were reviewed and re-assessed when their needs or circumstances changed, for example, following a period of hospitalisation. The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. The provider worked with people and their families to support them to live healthier lives and achieve improved outcomes. The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. The provider had processes in place to ask and record people’s consent to care and treatment.
The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Care was delivered with kindness and dignity by a team of people who were respectful of people's needs. People's individual needs were identified through careful assessment and then recorded in their care plan. The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Members of staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.
People's care plans were person-centred and contained details of their likes and dislikes, interests, hobbies and aspirations. Members of staff understood people’s communication needs and ensured they communicated with people in a way they understood. The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who were most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.
The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively and they did so with integrity, openness and honesty. 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. The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance and they used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people.
People's experience of this service
People told us they were happy with the care and support provided by Gaia Home Care Ltd and they felt safe with the members of staff who visited them. One person told us, “I am very happy with the carers. They arrive on time and stay the full duration. They give me my food and I have choices and can make my own decisions.” Family members confirmed members of staff were trained appropriately to deliver good quality care and support. One person’s relative told us, “[Member of staff] are well trained and experienced. They provide great personal and person-centred care. The care is not just a ‘tick box’ acknowledgement of care needs but a fulfilment of the care plan and personal ‘on the day’ needs.” Another family told us, “[Member of staff] are well trained and experienced.” There was a high degree of confidence in the caring abilities of the staff team. Family members told us, “[Member of staff] know [relative’s] likes and dislikes and provide a personalised and person-centred care. I was involved in creating the care plan and also any necessary updates,” and, “[Members of staff] are very kind and caring. They are respectful, observing privacy and dignity whilst giving personal care.” Communication between people, their families and the care staff was effective. A relative told us. “There is excellent communication between me and [the provider], particularly the carers, who update me about any on-going concerns; for instance, they noticed a wasp’s nest in the garden and informed me. I then contacted the authorities to deal with it.” Another family member said, “I feel [members of staff] go above and beyond to care for [relative]. They are responsive to their needs; [they are] trustworthy and respectful.” Family members also praised how members of staff supported people’s independence, “[Members of staff] help [relative] to remain as independent as possible. They are very responsive to [relative’s] needs and communicate well with the family to provide consistency in care. [Relative] has a regular team of 4 [members of staff] on a rota who provide responsive, consistent care. I have peace of mind that [relative] has great care.” People were generally happy with how Gaia Home Care Ltd was managed and organised. A family member told us, “This company is well managed and led. The staff go over and above to make sure that the service they provide is a great standard. I would recommend them.” Another family member said, “The company is well organised and led. I am concerned about the staff turnover and consistency of care although [relative’s] care has not been affected so far.” People were happy with quality of care and told us they would recommend the provider to others, “The care is person-centred and personal. I would recommend the company.”