- Homecare service
Scodef Care
Assessment report published 27 April 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment:8 December 2025– 15 January 2026
Scodef Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to adults, children and young people, including autistic people and people with a learning disability, in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received the regulated activity of 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 the assessment there were eight people receiving the regulated activity.
Although care was often delivered effectively,the safety and governance of the service required improvement.Care plans and risk assessments were frequently incomplete,contradictory or missing. This meant staff did not always have reliable written guidance on how to support people safely with mobility, nutrition,continence or clinical procedures. These shortfalls placed people at avoidable risk of harm.Recruitment systems were also not fully robust, with gaps and inconsistencies in staff files.Despite this,people and staff said there were usually enough carers available,and medicines were managed safely where the service had responsibility. We found breaches of legal regulations for safe care and treatment and good governance in relation to risk management,a lack of detailed care records and governance systems.
People generally told us they felt safe, well supported and treated with dignity. Staff were described as polite,friendly and attentive, and many people said regular carers knew them well. People said they could raise concerns and usually received a prompt response. Staff also supported meaningful activities and encouraged independence where possible. However,people’s experiences were not consistently positive.Some people described delays in care, communication difficulties with a small number of staff, and a lack of updated assessments or reviews.
The service supported people to achieve positive outcomes, and staff generally understood people’s day to day needs well. People were encouraged to stay active and maintain routines that mattered to them, and staff worked collaboratively with families and external professionals. Leadership was described by staff as approachable and supportive, and the culture was viewed as positive and inclusive. However, governance systems were not effective. Quality assurance processes did not reliably identify or address shortfalls in care planning, record accuracy or recruitment checks.
We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgments about whether the provider guaranteed autistic people and people with a learning disability respect, equality, dignity, choices,independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.Staff promoted caring, respectful relationships, and people were encouraged to make choices and express their preferences. However,inconsistent and unclear care documentation meant the provider could not always demonstrate that support for autistic people and people with a learning disability was consistently person centred, safe or aligned with best practice. This limited the provider’s ability to show it consistently met the principles of right support, right care and right culture.
Following the inspection, the provider began taking action to address shortfalls identified.We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this inspection Continued improvement is required to ensure the service delivers safe, consistently well governed and personcentred care.
People's experience of this service
People and relatives told us they generally felt safe and well supported by staff. A person said, “I feel safe, they (staff) take into account my preferences and always do what I require them to do.” Relatives described staff as caring and attentive, and several people highlighted the reassurance gained from consistent support. Another relative told us, “From what I have seen she is happy with the carers most of the time, apart from a few little issues, they are good.” People said staff were mostly reliable, and relatives confirmed the service had resolved earlier concerns about care practices and communication. However, some relatives said timing of calls, particularly around day centre collections, had been inconsistent and they had raised this with the office. People and relatives described staff as polite, friendly and respectful. People confirmed staff maintained their dignity, sought permission before providing care, and encouraged independence where possible. A person said, “If I say I’ll do something they respect it and support me where needed.” Staff were said to know people’s preferences, including routines, favourite activities and how best to communicate, though this varied between regular and newer staff. Relatives of people with complex needs explained staff supported personal care well and followed guidance relating to feeding tubes and seizures. A relative noted improvements over time where concerns had been addressed. Another parent described staff engaging warmly with their autistic child, saying staff “play with my daughter, feed her and do activities with her,” and that they seek guidance appropriately. People told us they could feedback through texts, forms or by contacting the office. Experiences of managerial visibility varied; some people had met the manager, while others were unsure who the manager was. Despite this, relatives said the service usually listened to concerns and took action, although one family reported ongoing challenges with call timings. Overall, people and relatives described a service that was caring, supportive and improving, with positive relationships between staff and people using the service. Some areas, including PPE consistency and call-time reliability, were mentioned as needing attention, but people felt staff were kind, respectful and helped them feel safe.