- Homecare service
Home Fairy - Derby
Assessment report published 2 August 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
About the service
Home Fairy – Derby is a domiciliary care agency (DCA) that is registered to provide personal care to people. People were supported with their personal care needs to enable them to live in their own homes and promote their independence. Not everyone who used the service received the regulated activity of personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This relates to help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where this is the case, we also consider any wider social care provided.
Who the service is for
This service supports adults who are living in their own homes, including people living with hearing loss and who use communication methods such as British Sign Language (BSL). At the time of the assessment the service supported 14 people with the regulated activity of personal care.
Key findingsWe carried out this assessment between 7 and 22 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.
The registered manager had created a ‘learning culture’ where staff understood the importance of reporting any concerns to help improve the service people received. For example, one staff member told us how they reported any issues and said, “[Any issues] are reviewed by the manager and they always communicate it around to the other staff, so they are aware of everything.”
Staff understood their responsibilities to help protect people from avoidable harm and abuse and knew how to report any concerns. Risk assessments were used to help identify and manage any risks associated with providing people’s care. For example, identifying any risks in people’s homes such as potential trip hazards.
The registered manager ensured there were enough staff to provide people’s care and had checked to ensure staff who had been recruited were suitable to work in care. Staff were knowledgeable on people’s areas of care and told us they completed their training regularly.
Not many people required staff to administer their medicines. However, when this was needed, staff told us how they recorded this and we reviewed records that showed this had been completed.
Staff were knowledgeable on people’s care needs however, some recent changes in one person’s care needs had not been updated in their care plan. The registered manager told us they had plans in place to ensure this would be done in a timely manner.
Staff understood the importance of checking people consented to their care and involved them in their choices. One staff member told us, “I always make sure a person is comfortable and I ask if they are okay with this before I do anything.”
Staff promoted people’s nutrition and hydration when this was needed. One staff member said, “Some people forget to drink, so we tend to put a big jug of something for the day out. We write down what they drank while we were with them, and we can look and say you’ve not had enough and encourage them to drink more.”
Staff monitored people’s health conditions effectively, for example, staff gave examples of how they monitored people’s skin to ensure it remained healthy.
Staff were mindful of respecting people’s privacy and dignity and promoting their independence. One staff member told us, “I always make sure a person is comfortable, I will ask if they are okay with this before I do it and make sure we are in a private place and no-one can walk in.”
The service provided person-centred care where people were listened to, and staff had the time to build up positive relationships with people. Staff worked to help promote people’s equal access to services. For example, one staff member told us they completed a British Sign Language (BSL) course to help them be able to communicate more effectively with a person they supported.
The service had a clear aim to provide a quality service where the minimum call time was one hour. This had helped to promote positive relationships between staff and the people they cared for.
The registered manager used spot checks and feedback from people and their relatives to help inform them on the quality and safety of their service. They responded to any issues identified and took action to make any further improvements to service.
However, some spot checks had not always been recorded, and an effective system was not in place to ensure all relevant paper records of people’s care were returned to the office. The registered manager told us they would take action to ensure improvements were made.
People's experience of this service
People told us they felt safe having care and support from Home Fairy – Derby. One person told us, “They've been lovely, I cannot praise them enough, I feel safe, they are nice people.”
People told us they appreciated having regular staff who arrived on time. They benefited from the one-hour minimum call time as they felt this had enabled staff to get to know them well. One relative told us, “There is one consistent staff member, I requested this and got it. I wanted someone who knows [my family member], knows their needs, knows what to do. I didn't want a different member of staff each time, I don't want the worry, it allows me the peace of mind to go and do and what I need to do.”
People felt staff worked safely to reduce any risks. For example, one person told us, “My home has to be clutter free with no trip hazards and nothing left out of place. All my support workers abide by this and respect that.”
People discussed what care they needed with the registered manager before any care calls started. They felt staff worked with them and checked they were happy to accept care before staff started to provide it. They felt they were given choices and were given control of their care. For example, one person told us they were always asked what they wanted to have for lunch. Where staff did help people with their meals and drinks, people were happy with how this was done. One person said, “I have the same breakfast every morning. By the time I get downstairs they have some of it ready and then they wait until I help with what I can do.”
People felt their health conditions were monitored well. One person told us, “I was very impressed they take my blood pressure every time.” They went onto tell us that staff had involved the GP when the reading was low and this had led to the person receiving some treatment to help improve their health.
People told us staff were caring. One person told us, “Staff are very thoughtful. When they have finished, they will ask if there is anything else they can do.” They felt staff promoted their independence. One person told us, “Staff let me do what I am able to do.”
People felt the service was responsive to any changes in their needs. For example, one relative told us, “They are good at reacting to changes. [My relative] came out of hospital last week, and they added in extra care hours.” They felt staff supported people to obtain the care they needed. For example, one person told us, “My support workers contact the district nurse for me and make sure they are here to help with communication when the district nurse arrives…They also take me to all medical appointments and are there to communicate for me at the same time keeping up to date with my needs and medications.”
People and their relatives consistently told us they found staff and leaders at the service helpful and approachable. One relative said, “I know who runs the company, they came out initially to see us, there’s been no problems, I know who to go to, they are very good.” Another relative described the service as, “It’s great, they are very good, very professional and they are dedicated to their job.”