- Homecare service
LJM - Homecare Lincoln
Assessment report published 27 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 16 September 2026. This assessment was planned due to the age of rating and the previous rating of requires improvement to follow up on those concerns.
LJM Homecare Lincoln is a home care service providing support to adults of all ages living in their own homes. At the time of our assessment, the service was supporting 72 people. Not everyone using a homecare service receives personal care. CQC only regulates the care provided to people receiving the regulated activity of personal care. 46 people were receiving the regulated activity.
Overall, people received safe, personalised care and there were many examples of very positive outcomes. Staff supported people with complex needs, including people other services had been unable to support. The care delivered helped people regain independence, improve their health and wellbeing and remain involved in decisions about their lives. People and relatives were particularly positive about compassionate end of life care.
Care plans and risk assessments were detailed and reflected people’s needs, preferences and routines. Staff worked closely with health and social care professionals and responded appropriately when people’s needs changed. Medicines were managed safely and safeguarding concerns and incidents were fully investigated, shared and lessons learnt identified to improve future care provision.
Many people described staff as kind and caring. However, experiences were not always consistent. Some people raised concerns about continuity of staff teams, poor communication, staff understanding of individual needs and how effectively complaints led to improvement. Some staff felt concerns they raised were not always followed up or that outcomes were not shared with them.
The registered managers were committed to improving the service and were knowledgeable about people’s needs and the support staff required. The provider had extensive systems for oversight and worked particularly well with partner organisations. There was a strong approach to learning and innovation, with technology and research used to identify changes in people’s health and explore new ways of improving care. Some further improvement was needed to ensure communication, staff practice and people’s experiences were consistently good across the service.
People's experience of this service
Most people and relatives spoke positively about the care and support provided. People generally felt safe and said staff treated them with kindness and respect. One person said, "I just feel very comfortable when they are here and there have been occasions when I have fallen and they know what they are doing and can get me up safely. "
Most people felt their choices were respected and said they were involved in decisions about their care. One person said, "They make me laugh and we talk. They do a really good job.” Another said, "They're very professional and friendly. Nothing can be done better.”
Relatives also described positive experiences and generally felt people were treated with dignity. Relatives described particularly positive experiences of end of life care. They spoke about staff providing compassionate support to both people and their families, sometimes continuing this relationship after the person had died. One relative said, "I would recommend them to anyone, they were brilliant." Another described staff as "really exceptionally good" and said care workers attended their relative’s funeral.
However, experiences were not consistently positive. Some people experienced frequent changes of staff and did not always know who was visiting or when. Some people raised concerns about consistency of care visits and felt staff did not always understand how to safely use their equipment or their preferences. Some felt they had to repeatedly explain their care to unfamiliar staff.
People also described some staff being rushed, distracted or not communicating respectfully. Concerns about communication with office staff were a repeated theme, including difficulty obtaining rotas, being listened to when they raised concerns and information not always being passed on.
While some people said concerns were resolved, others felt issues had to be raised several times before improvements were made or did not result in lasting change. A small number were worried about the consequences of complaining. Overall, most people were satisfied with their care but experiences varied depending on which staff supported them.