- Homecare service
Carers Break Community Interest Company
Assessment report published 27 April 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 26 March to 1 April 2026
Carers Break is a Domiciliary Care Agency (DCA) providing personal care to people living in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received the regulated activity of personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal care and/or support with eating and drinking. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
At the time of the assessment the service supported 49 people, 5 of these were receiving personal care. Visits were a minimum of 2 hours.
The service supports people living with dementia, physical disabilities, sensory impairments, mental health conditions and people with a learning disability and autistic people. Therefore, we considered the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities.
The assessment looked at all the key questions; safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Following the assessment we have rated the service good overall and outstanding in caring.
There were enough staff to support people. Staff told us they felt well supported and consistently spoke highly about the service, one said “I love the company, there is always someone there and it is like a big family.”
Staff completed training in core subjects the provider identified as necessary, this included training in supporting people with a learning disability or autistic people. People were normally supported by small teams who knew them well and understood their individual needs and preferences. There was a very strong emphasis on the provision of activities and reducing social isolation.
People were protected from abuse and risks to their safety had been identified and mitigated. Care plans accurately reflected people’s current needs and staff documented the care they provided.
The service’s culture and values were centred on kindness, honesty and integrity, supported by a well-trained workforce. The registered manager told us, “Kindness is the gateway to everything”.
Care staff consistently demonstrated compassionate and person centre care. They always looked for ways to improve people’s lives and were very proud and motivated to work for the organisation.
The service worked effectively with other healthcare professionals, sharing information appropriately and escalating any health concerns to the relevant agency appropriately.
People's experience of this service
People, relatives and professionals consistently shared positive feedback about the service. People benefitted from having sufficient time with staff, which supported the development of trusting relationships and personalised care. A relative told us, “They are amazing, they do all seem to like my [relative] and care for them. I have seen bad care, and this isn’t it.”
People told us visits were reliable and staff generally arrived on time. No one reported having experienced a missed care visit. People said that if staff were running late, the office contacted them to keep them informed.
Comments included, “Always turn up and stay their full time and if they are running late the office always lets them know.” People described staff as kind, approachable and respectful. One person told us, “They are nice people, always ask if they can do something.” A relative said, “[Nominated Individual] is excellent, really proactive, responds quickly and trusts the staff”. Another said, “My [Relative] has complex care needs, and some care staff are better than others, younger staff were finding [Relative] difficult, but all were patient and excellent.”
We observed staff were attentive to people’s needs and treated people with respect and dignity.