- Homecare service
Better Care & Support Ltd
Assessment report published 16 October 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
4Life Care Chesterfield Limited is a home care service providing support to older people and younger adults, people living with dementia and people with physical disabilities. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only assess where people receive personal care. Personal care is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. At the time of our assessment, there were 32 people using the service, 30 people receiving the regulated activity of personal care.This was a comprehensive assessment where we assessed all areas. This was our first assessment of 4Life Care Chesterfield Limited under this registration.
We used a range of different methods to help us understand people's experiences. These included reviewing documents, speaking with employees and contacting people who used the service and their relatives for their views on care they receive.
We found significant shortfalls in care planning and risk assessments within the service meaning that people were at risk of receiving unsafe care and treatment.
Accidents and incidents were not always recorded formally or analysed to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. This meant safeguarding referrals had the potential to be missed by the provider and left people at continued risk of harm or abuse. Risk assessments were not always in place when clinical needs had been identified which meant the provider could not be assured staff knew how to manage these risks.
People and their relatives spoke positively about the kindness and attentiveness of individual staff, however, the assessment found that care was not always person-centred or delivered in line with best practice. Care plans lacked information about people's choice and preferences.
Staff were positive about the management and support they received as employees of the service. They told us they felt valued and listened to. During the assessment, we found 3 breaches in regulations of person-centred care, safe care and treatment and good governance.
In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.
People's experience of this service
Our assessment identified people had not always received a positive experience due to staff not being provided with clear written guidance on how best to support people safely and safeguarding best practices were not always followed. However, people told us that they were happy with the service they received from 4Life Care Chesterfield Limited. People using the service and those important to them told us that staff knew them well and felt able to contact the office with any questions or concerns.
We received mixed feedback on consistency of carers. Some people told us they had a consistent team support them, whilst others told us it was different people who did not know them well.
On the whole people knew staff and leaders, but there were times when staff did not know people as well when covering staff absences. People said staff communicated with them about changes including when staff were running late. People valued the continuity of care staff, meaning they were able to build a rapport with care staff.