The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Dignity Direct Homecare Limited

Overall: Inadequate read more about inspection ratings

C202-C203, Meridian Trading Estate, 20 Bugsby's Way, London, SE7 7SF (020) 8100 2826

Provided and run by:
Dignity Direct Homecare Limited

Important:

We served a warning notice on Dignity Direct Homecare Limited for failing to meet the regulations related to staffing, safe care and treatment and good governance at Dignity Direct Homecare Limited.

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment: 29 and 30 July and 19 August 2025.

Dignity Direct Homecare Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. People had medical conditions, mobility and nutrition needs. At the time of the assessment, 53 people who used the service received personal care.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. In this service, the Care Quality Commission can only inspect the service received by people who get support with personal care. This includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where people receive such support, we also consider any wider social care provided.

During our previous in September 2024, we found the provider was in breach of six regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, effective staffing, person centred care, need for consent, good governance and fit and proper persons employed. As a result, we served warning notices (WN) for regulation 17 (Good governance) regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment) and for regulation 18 (Staffing). We further issued requirement notices for regulation 11 (Need for consent) and regulation 9 (Person-centred care).

At this assessment, we found the provider failed to make improvements and remained in repeat breaches of regulation 9 (Person-centred care), regulation 11 (Need for consent), and they failed to meet the WNs for regulation 18 (Staffing) and regulation 17 (Good governance). This meant people continued to remain at risk of receiving unsafe care and treatment and support. In addition, we found the provider was in breach of regulation 10 (Dignity and respect). CQC have decided to take enforcement action against the provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.

The provider did not always work well with people to understand what being safe meant to them and how to achieve that. People were not supported by skilled and effectively deployed care workers. People received their medicines as prescribed. However, care worker’s understanding of medicine to be given as needed (PRN) protocols was poor. The provider did not always work within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. People were not always treated with kindness and respect. Care workers had received training on equality, diversity, privacy, and dignity but it was not always effective. The provider did not always ensure people’s care and support met people’s preferences. The provider did not always make sure people were at the centre of their care and had not valued diversity in their workforce. The provider did not have an effective oversight of the service.

People were protected from the risk of infection. Risk assessments and risk management plans were completed for people which included guidance for care workers. The provider carried out satisfactory background checks for all care workers before they started working. Senior staff assessed people’s needs to ensure these could be met. Care workers gave people as much choice as possible.

This service is being placed in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provide a framework within which we use our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide.

During an assessment under our new approach

Dignity Direct Homecare Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of the assessment, there were 63 people receiving personal care. The service provides support to people including people living with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We expect health and social care providers to have regard to the CQC ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance. This assessment was prompted in part by concerns about safeguarding incidents and management of the service. Date of assessment: 15 August 2024 to 17 September 2024. During the onsite assessment, we spoke with the branch manager, finance manager, HR manager, risk assessor, and a field supervisor. The registered manager was on leave. We spoke with 24 people and their relatives and 6 care staff. For this assessment, we looked at 8 quality statements: safeguarding, involving people to manage risks, safe and effective staffing, medicines optimisation, person-centred care, listening to and involving people, governance, management and sustainability and learning, improvement and innovation. At the last inspection in September 2017, the service was rated good. At this assessment we found that the quality of care had deteriorated. The provider was found to be in breach of six regulations in relation to safe care and treatment, effective staffing, person-centred care, need for consent, good governance and fit and proper persons employed. Improvements were required in relation to risk management, staff recruitment and deployment, staff training, person centred care and governance. CQC have decided to take enforcement action against the provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.

21 September 2017

During a routine inspection

This announced inspection took place on 21 September 2017. Dignity Direct Homecare Limited provides personal care to people living in their own homes. The service provided other support activities to people using the service such as domestic tasks, which the Care Quality Commission does not regulate. At the time of the inspection, 22 people were using the service.

This is the first comprehensive inspection of the service by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since registration on 1 February 2016.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Care workers knew how to protect people from abuse and understood their responsibility to raise any concerns at the service. The registered manager carried out risk assessments and ensured care workers had guidance about how to provide safe care and support to people. Care workers provided an enabling environment to people for positive risk taking.

People received the support they required to maintain their independence and to reach their full potential. Care workers knew how to support people who displayed behaviours that may challenge the service and others.

People received safe care because care workers underwent robust recruitment procedures and pre-employment checks before they started providing care. The provider ensured there were sufficient numbers of care workers available to meet people's needs.

People received support to take their medicines safely. Care workers were trained and assessed as competent to manage people’s medicines.

People using the service and their relatives said care workers were kind and caring. People were involved in making decisions about their care, and where they were unable to do so, received appropriate support through best interests meetings.

Care workers understood the health needs of people using the service and had sufficient knowledge and skills to deliver their care effectively. People received care from care workers who were supported in their roles. Care workers received regular supervision and appraisal of their performance.

People had an opportunity to provide their views about the service and felt that the provider listened to them. The registered manager responded to people’s feedback and made changes when necessary.

People were treated with dignity and care workers maintained their privacy. The registered manager assessed and reviewed people’s needs regularly. Care workers asked people about how they wanted their care delivered and respected their decisions.

People were supported to eat and drink and to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. Care workers supported people to access healthcare services when required.

People were encouraged to develop and maintain their independence and daily living skills. People received person centred care that was based on their individual needs, preferences and wishes. Care workers supported people to access the community safely and to take part in activities that they enjoyed.

People knew how to raise concerns and make a complaint about the service. The registered manager investigated and resolved complaints in line with the provider’s procedures and timeframes. The provider reviewed procedures and provided additional training to care workers to minimise the recurrence of incidents or complaints at the service.

People and care workers knew the registered manager and described him as approachable and easy to talk to about their welfare. Care workers understood their roles and responsibilities and showed a commitment to support people with their individual needs in a person centred manner. Quality assurances systems were in place and used effectively to monitor the care and support provided to people. The registered manager acted on shortfalls identified and made the necessary improvements.