- Homecare service
Business Hub, Simms Cross
Assessment report published 20 August 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment – 28th May – 28th July 2026. Business Hub, Simms Cross is a supported living service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. The service is operated by PossAbilities, a social enterprise that provides support for people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health needs and dementia.
At the time of our assessment, 64 people were receiving support across a number of supported living locations within the Halton area.
We gave the provider notice of the assessment because the service provides personal care to people living in supported living settings, and we wanted to ensure the registered manager, staff and people using the service were available to speak with us during the assessment process.
As part of the assessment, we visited the provider's office and 4 supported living properties where people lived. The remainder of the assessment activity was carried out remotely through the review of records and information provided.
The assessment was prompted due to an aged rating. We carried out a comprehensive assessment and assessed a total of 33 quality statements from all the key questions we ask; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
We assessed 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, choice, independence, and access to local communities that most people take for granted.
We spoke with people in their homes and with staff, people’s relatives and health and social care professionals who were involved in people’s care and treatment.
At our last inspection we rated this service good. At this inspection, the service has been rated good.
The provider and registered managers were committed to improving the lives of people using the service, with a clear vision of how to achieve this using innovative ideas and strategies. The provider worked hard to challenge stereotypes, provide new ways to engage with people and consistently checked processes were enabling, relevant, and made sense for people.
People had been supported by the same staff for many years and staff had appropriate training for their role. Leaders throughout the organisation used different ways to engage with staff, ensuring they felt supported, appreciated and their voice was used to shape change and address concerns that were holding them back from doing the best job for the people they supported.
The provider demonstrated a strong learning culture, using events, incidents and feedback as opportunities to reflect, learn and improve. There was clear and consistent evidence that lessons learned were shared openly across the service, with actions identified, implemented and reviewed to drive continuous improvement. Staff were encouraged to reflect on practice and contribute to learning, helping to strengthen service quality and improve outcomes for people receiving support. The provider actively sought people’s views through a range of methods and used this feedback to inform change, ensuring the service reflected what people wanted and valued.
We found the provider had clear governance structures with a comprehensive range of audits used to effectively monitor performance, manage risks and lead improvement.
The provider gave people opportunities to learn about a range of topics, helping them to make informed choices about their health, understand and manage risks, and engage more fully with their local community and wider social care networks, including through involvement with the local authority.
People’s care plans were written with them and reflected their views, preferences and included the feedback of people who knew them well. Care plans were regularly reviewed to ensure updates were included and people were able to set goals and aspirations for their wellbeing.
People's experience of this service
People and their relatives spoke positively about the service they received, describing how their lives had changed and improved since moving into their current homes with support from the provider. One relative explained how their loved one is “living his best ever life”, while another said their loved one is “very happy at home”.
People were engaged in activities they enjoyed; they made holiday plans to places they were interested in and were supported to build on their interests in new ways.For example, staff supported one person, who had previously been anxious about leaving their home, to build their confidence and enter a local garden competition. After winning and receiving a garden makeover, they hosted a garden party for friends and neighbours, helping to strengthen community connections and relationships.
People talked about the great relationships they had with their staff and how staff knew the kind of support they needed and what was important to them. Relatives spoke about how important it was for their loved one to have a consistent team and how this had been achieved and the difference it had made.
People’s relatives talked about staff being competent in their roles, knowing their loved ones’ needs and how to communicate with them.
People’s relatives told us they were kept up to date with changes in their loved ones’ care, had regular meetings to discuss and knew how to raise a concern if they needed to.
One person we spoke with described how much they had achieved since having support and the difference it had made. They said how “happy” they were living there and the things they were looking forward to in the future.