- Homecare service
Cloud 9 Care Limited
Assessment report published 9 July 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
About the service
This service is a domiciliary care agency providing support to people in their own homes. There were 45 people in receipt of a regulated activity at the time of the inspection. This service supports older people and people with physical disabilities who are living in their own homes.
Key findings
We carried out this assessment on 18 June 2026 to 09 July 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.
Safeguarding systems were in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse, staff understood their responsibilities and were knowledgeable about different types of abuse and how and who they would report concerns to. Staff understood the process of recording accidents and incidents, including escalating concerns to leaders. Incident reports were regularly analysed to identify any themes or trends to improve people’s safety. Risks to people were identified and actions in place to mitigate risks, including environmental safety.
We checked and found that staff and management worked within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions, they had choice, control and freedom over their lives.
Staff had received training and ongoing support from leaders to ensure they had the training and competence to carry out their roles safely and effectively; this included the safe administration of medication. Medication audits were completed by the leaders ensuring oversight and identifying any shortfalls.
The service demonstrated a culture of person-centred care, where staff understood people as individuals and adapted support to meet their needs. Staff promoted people’s independence and dignity with evidence of positive outcomes. People’s health and wellbeing were monitored, with appropriate escalation to professionals when concerns were identified
Care was delivered by competent staff who knew people well. This also supported staff to recognise changes in people’s needs and respond effectively.
Care plans were person centred and provided staff with detailed information on how to support people based on their assessed needs, choices and preferences. A staff member said, “I find the care plans to be really helpful.” Another staff member said, “They are very helpful they are very up to date if anything is changed, they are updated almost immediately.” Risks were assessed and people were involved in the process. There were effective systems in place to safeguard people from abuse.
The service demonstrated an understanding of the importance of ensuring that people with protected characteristics experienced equitable care, support, and outcomes, without disadvantage or discrimination.
Leaders had developed weekly memos as a structured tool for communication, reflection, learning and continuous improvement, capturing detailed examples of care delivery to demonstrate what has worked well and how practice could be developed further. All staff we spoke to told us this was integral to shared learning and driving improvement within the service.
Systems were in place to support the safety and effectiveness of the service, including live alerts to monitor care delivery, supporting oversight and ensuring people received their planned care. Audits were completed regularly by leaders. Leaders were positive in receiving feedback and were proactive in seeking improvements. For example, some daily notes identified as not always showing clear communication and escalation for people. Therefore, leaders implemented an action plan that was put into place for additional audits around visit times, log ins and visit notes. The service also implemented further reviewing of escalation recording as part of their action plan.
We received positive feedback from staff in relation to their experience of working at the service. All staff described feeling supported and spoke positively about working for the service, with one staff member saying, “I feel very supported and morale is good, staff are valued and it’s a caring company.” Most staff told us that they did find travel time a challenge and that they were not allocated enough time and they were often making this time up in other parts of their days. This feedback was shared with the registered manager to support ongoing improvement within the service.
People's experience of this service
People and their relatives spoke positively about their experience of the service and the care they received.
People described positive relationships with staff and told us they were treated with dignity and respect. One person said, “We are 100% happy with the company, they are brilliant and [relative] is very safe with them”. A relative told us, “When we decided we needed a live in carer Cloud9 were excellent and worked with us, they are totally supportive to us as a family”. Another person told us, “The carers are lovely, I like them and they keep me going.”
People told us they felt safe and reassured by staff who understood their needs and delivered care in a consistent and supportive way. We received comments such as “I am safe, the carers are good,” and “I am safe with them, I can’t fault them at all.”
Continuity of care was consistently experienced and valued by people using the service. A relative said, “We have had a core team of carers for a very long time, and we have kept most of those carers. We know them well and they know us.” A person told us “We have a core group of probably 7 or 8 and we know them all by name. Any new carer is introduced first and then shown what to do and they come as a double for a few times.”
People valued the support they received to maintain their independence. Staff were described as working alongside people in a way that enabled them to continue daily routines and retain control over their lives. People described how staff supported them while encouraging them to do what they could for themselves.
People and their relatives spoke positively about the involvement they had in care and communication with the service. Regular reviews and contact with staff and management helped people feel listened to and supported. One person said, I talk to the office regularly and they phone and check with me that everything is alright – they are very good” and another told us, “The management seem very efficient, they always get back to me.” We meet once a year to discuss everything and I have a feedback form. I also get a newsletter.”