- Homecare service
Hales Group Limited - Sheffield
Assessment report published 7 May 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 27 March to 14 April 2026. Hales Group Limited Sheffield is a care at home service providing personal care and support to adults of all ages some of whom were living with dementia. 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 201 people receiving care and support. This was the first rated inspection for the service and was triggered for assessment due to the service having no rating and due to concerns we received in relation to the quality of care and support. We found the provider had taken action to address most of these concerns, however, we found some people and relatives were still not completely satisfied with the timing and duration of their care calls.
Staff and leaders took appropriate actions to ensure lessons were learnt from safety events. People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse. Staff received training and support to ensure they had the skills to identify concerns. However, some people and relatives felt staff could be more knowledgeable especially around food preparation. Staff and leaders understood and worked within the guidelines of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Risks associated with people’s care were identified and managed to keep people safe. Environmental risk assessments were also completed to mitigate risks in the care environment. People and relatives told us their carer did not always arrive on time and in some cases never attended the call. We spoke with the registered manager, and they told us they would carry out weekly reviews of the electronic call monitoring data and review instances of under-delivered care.
We saw evidence people had been involved in reviews about their care and support, and staff and leaders spoke with people about their care plans. People had access to healthcare professionals and staff followed their guidance. People told us staff were kind and caring. Staff explained how they involved people in their care and support.
The provider had a system in place for people to raise concerns, however some people did not feel listened to and told us members of the management team did not always respond to them. Staff also informed us they did not always feel listened to or valued. We raised this with the registered manager who told us they would carry out observations of practice and review any concerns raised by staff. Some staff did not feel supported to give feedback and felt leaders were not always receptive to ideas and suggestions. The management team carried out a series of audits to ensure the service was operating in line with the providers standards.
Most people told us that they would speak with the carers if they had a problem and wouldn't raise issues with the management team. The provider had a whistle blowing policy and staff were able to raise concerns about the service, although they did not always feel listened to.
People's experience of this service
We spoke with people and their relatives and received some mixed feedback. Some people and relatives were complimentary about the service while others had not had such a positive experience. Concerns were mainly in relation to call times and staff not staying for their allotted time, staff not always being trained appropriately, especially in meal preparation, and members of the management team not responding to them when they had raised concerns. One relative said, “We’ve had a few issues, continuity of carers is the main one. It’s often fine for a while then slips again.” Another relative said, “Up to 90% of them [staff] are great, but when things go wrong, they don’t get resolved. That’s my experience anyway.” Another relative said, “A minority of carers were unfamiliar with basic kitchen equipment, some appeared unable to use a microwave.” One person said, “I never know really who’s coming. Generally, the carers are alright.” We raised these concerns with the registered manager who sent us an action plan stating how they would improve the service. Other people and relatives were happy with the care and support they received. One person said, “I am quite happy. [Staff] are really good.” One relative said, “I very rarely need to contact the office. When I have phoned, I have always got an answer straight away.” People told us they were asked for their consent before delivering care and support and staff supported people to make choices. One relative said, “Carers always ask if its alright before doing anything. At mealtimes, [family member] is given a simple choice of meals so that it’s easy for [family member] to decide.” One person said, “I always decide what I want from the carers. If I don’t feel like having a shower, that’s alright.” Another person said, “We’ve [staff and person] got a good routine. The regulars [carers] know their way around. They know that I like routine and that makes me feel safe.”