JCT Home Care Consulting Ltd Trading as Visiting Angels West Leicestershire

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated

Outstanding. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently better than expected compared to similar services. People’s feedback described it as exceptional and distinctive.

This service scored 96 (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 always made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by thoroughly assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

The provider’s pre‑assessment and ongoing review procedures were exceptionally robust and person‑centred. Feedback from people and relatives was consistently and overwhelmingly positive. Everyone we spoke with described the assessment process as thorough, reassuring, and tailored to their individual circumstances.

A relatives said, “Visiting Angels came out to relation and spent at least an hour and a half talking to them with me, about every possible need we would have." Another relative said, “I met [name of office staff member], who was so totally reassuring. I wasn't in a very good place then, but they emphasised to me how normal my relation’s situation is and explained the ways that we can cope with it. I can't begin to tell you how much this meant to me, and that is exactly what they've done.”

People were offered face‑to‑face reviews of their care package every 3 months, and this was confirmed by people and relatives. A relative said, “We had a recent review meeting to discuss every aspect of my relation’s care. They [staff] were wonderful and very supportive, professional and caring.” Another relative said, “I have a care review every 3 months I think, so I'm able to tell them how wonderful they are, and how much difference it's made to my life, knowing my relation is so well looked after, and totally safe in their hands.”

In addition to these scheduled reviews, the provider completed a monthly internal review of people’s care. We reviewed a sample of these and found them to be exceptionally detailed, reflective, and insightful. They provided a comprehensive overview of the person’s needs, progress, preferences, and any changes required. These reviews demonstrated an excellent understanding of each individual person and ensured care remained responsive, proactive, and reflected people’s changing needs.

People’s care plans had been developed with them and their relatives, and provided staff with detailed, up‑to‑date information. This enabled staff to deliver highly effective, personalised and meaningful care. One example of this was the staff’s resourceful and innovative approach to supporting a person with their communication needs.

The person had a hearing impairment, and staff had explored multiple creative solutions to ensure they could communicate confidently and independently. Staff used a live transcribing app on their phones that converted spoken words into text in real time, enabling the person to follow conversations with ease. A fax machine was also used to support the person to communicate with their family, and visitors were encouraged to use paper and pen to ensure the person was always included. These examples show how staff had gone above and beyond to remove barriers, adapt to people’s individual needs, and ensure everyone was fully involved in their care.

The provider always 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. They worked to develop evidence-based good practice and standards.

People and relatives consistently praised staff for their standard of competency, knowledge and experience in effectively meeting people’s individual care needs.

The provider used recognised assessment and monitoring tools based on best practice guidance. For example, these included validated tools to assess people’s individual needs such as mobility, nutrition and skin integrity. These tools were reviewed regularly and used alongside people’s own goals and preferences to ensure care remained proactive, personalised and responsive. This enabled staff to identify even subtle changes in people’s health and wellbeing at an early stage and take swift, appropriate action. It also meant people received consistently high‑quality support that was tailored to their individual needs, promoted their independence, and improved their overall quality of life.

Staff received additional training and worked with the GP to support them in recognising the early indicators of ill health and possible infection. This enhanced their ability to spot subtle changes in people’s presentation, behaviour or physical condition. As a result, staff were able to share accurate, timely information with external clinicians, supporting early diagnosis and intervention. This reduced the risk of people becoming seriously unwell, prevented avoidable hospital admissions, and ensured people received the right care at the right time.

People’s nutrition and hydration needs were assessed, monitored and reviewed effectively. The provider’s robust systems and processes enabled early identification of any concerns, which were addressed without delay. For example, staff raised a concern with the GP about a person’s reduced food and fluid intake. The GP prescribed supplements, but staff continued to monitor the person closely and identified further concerns. They made an additional referral to the GP, requesting further supplements, which was agreed. This meant staff had been vigilant proactive and committed to people’s wellbeing. Staff did not wait for issues to escalate; instead, they took swift, informed action to ensure the person received the right support at the earliest opportunity.

The provider always worked well across teams and services to support people. They shared thorough assessments of people’s needs when they moved between different services, so people only needed to tell their story once.

The provider had developed excellent internal communication systems and processes to ensure important information was shared effectively with care staff, enabling consistently high‑quality care. Staff told us that excellent communication and support were among the best things about working for the service. This included clear communication with office staff and with each other through people’s daily electronic communication notes. One staff member said, “Staff record full detailed notes from the call. If anything is needed for the client or for the next call, it is all detailed in the notes. Office staff are really supportive and communication is really good.”

The provider had invested in the management team by creating additional roles that enhanced the overall effectiveness of how the service was led and coordinated. This included a dedicated role responsible for liaising with people and relatives, and for following up any communication with external professionals to ensure nothing was missed. Another role focused on supporting care staff directly and leading communication with them, ensuring they always had the guidance, updates and reassurance they needed.

This way of working meant information flowed seamlessly throughout the service, staff felt well supported and informed, and people experienced care that was consistently coordinated, responsive and personalised.

People and relatives were highly complementary and praised the communication within the service. People described the communication as “Brilliant communication”, “Office staff are very efficient”, and “Staff are always quick to respond.”

External professionals also told us their experience of communicating with staff was excellent. One professional said, “The communication is very good. The office staff email and call me with updates of how things are going and let me know of any concerns they may have.”

The provider always supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to fully maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

As already described, staff used recognised tools to identify early signs of deterioration, enabling timely GP referrals and preventing avoidable hospital admissions. Care records reviewed and feedback from people, relatives and staff all confirmed how effective staff supported people with their health conditions and care needs. Staff had detailed information to support their knowledge and awareness of how a person’s health condition impacted them and their care needs.

Staff were praised for the support they provided in meeting people’s health, and wellbeing needs and promoting independence. A relative said, “They [staff] worked and liaised with the OTs (occupational therapists) about equipment that would help to make my relation’s life better."

The provider’s ‘Provider Information Return’ (PIR) is an annual submission sent to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to help them understand how the service is performing. In their PIR, the provider described their strong commitment to collaborative working with a wide range of health professionals to ensure people received effective support with their health conditions and consistently experienced good outcomes.

This was confirmed by an external healthcare professional, who told us the service worked exceptionally well with people who had complex health needs, including those living with dementia. They described how the provider’s multi‑disciplinary approach ensured joined‑up working, which directly benefited people by ensuring their care was coordinated, timely and responsive.

The registered manager told us and people and relatives confirmed how staff provided support, guidance and signposting to ensure people could access the right services at the right time. This included helping people arrange GP appointments, liaising with district nurses, supporting referrals to specialist teams and ensuring families were kept fully informed. People and relatives consistently described this as invaluable, explaining that it helped them feel reassured, involved and confident that their relation’s health needs were being proactively managed.

Relatives’ comments included, “They [staff] anticipate problems, and keep me fully up to date." And, "All the girls [staff] are super proactive." Relatives described of experiencing times of being overwhelmed as their relation’s care needs changed and health conditions progressed and praised the support and guidance they received from staff. A relative said, “This is obviously the first time that we've been in this situation, and they [staff] have guided us through step by step, held our hand all the way.”

The provider monitored all people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they fully met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

Care plans were outcome‑focused. This enabled staff to work with people to set clear, meaningful goals such as improving mobility, increasing confidence with daily tasks, maintaining independence or enhancing emotional wellbeing. Progress was continually monitored and reviewed. This meant timely adjustments could be made and ensured support remained appropriate, and helped people achieve the best possible outcomes.

This approach meant people experienced care that was not only safe and effective but genuinely life‑enhancing. Staff were proactive in recognising when people’s needs changed and acted quickly to ensure support remained personalised, relevant and empowering. As a result, people consistently achieved positive outcomes, maintained independence for longer and felt in control of their care.

We saw many examples of the positive impact staff support had on improving outcomes for people. For example, one person had experienced a traumatic historic event that caused significant fear around an aspect of their daily care. Through the care, patience and sensitive support of staff, the person was gradually able to overcome their fear of water. This had a profound impact on their wellbeing, improving their skin integrity, physical health, confidence and dignity.

A relative expressed their gratitude of how their loved ones could remain living together. They said, “Thanks to their [staff’s] wonderful care, [name] will be able to stay at home with [name]. I'm sure we will have to increase the hours at some point, but now everything works.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) is a law in England and Wales that protects and empowers people aged 16+ who may lack the ability to make certain decisions for themselves. It sets out clear principles for assessing capacity, making decisions in someone’s best interests, and supporting people to be as involved as possible.

Where people lacked the mental capacity to consent to their care, MCA assessments and best‑interest decisions had been completed. These were decision‑specific and demonstrated that the least restrictive options had been considered. While others had been consulted, it was not consistently recorded what the person’s relationship was to the individual using the service. It was also not recorded when and how the person had been involved in the assessment, such as what questions they were asked and what their responses were.

This is important because it provides clear evidence that the person was supported to participate as much as possible, that decisions were made lawfully, and that only those with a legitimate role were involved in the process. Detailed records also ensure transparency, demonstrate respect for the person’s rights, and help staff understand how best to support the person in future decisions. We discussed this with the registered manager who agreed to review their practice.

Staff were aware of the importance of seeking consent before care was provided and the principles of the MCA. A staff member said, “MCA is to protect and empower people who cannot make choices for themselves. It’s important we involve people as fully as possible in decisions and gain their consent to care before providing any care.”

Relatives confirmed they and their relation was involved in discussions and decisions as fully as possible.