- Homecare service
Karrek Community
Assessment report published 17 November 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 20 August to 3 September 2025.
Karrek Community provides domiciliary care to adults living in their own homes throughout Cornwall. Most people received regular short visits help them maintain their independence. However, the service also supported a small number of people to access the community and maintain their social networks. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive a regulated activity of personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
People were supported by one or two members of staff with visit duration varying from 30 minutes to 24 hour support. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting approximately 60 people.
The assessment looked at all of the key questions; safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. We have rated the service good overall and outstanding in well led.
People were protected from abuse and staff knew how to manage risks to ensure people were protected from harm. Staff were provided with clear guidance on techniques that had been previously used successfully to support people and used these approaches effectively during our observations.
Staff were recruited safely and there were sufficient staff employed to provide the planned support. However, a small group of staff were regularly working excessive hours. These working practices meant people may have been receiving support from staff who were tired. This put them at risk of receiving poor quality care. The provider had identified these risks prior to the inspection and, following feedback, additional processes were introduced to limit staff working hours.
Medicines were managed safely and given as prescribed. Staff had access to gloves and aprons when required and understood how to manage infection control risks.
Managers and staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and people were supported to make their own decisions and choices where possible. People were able to change their minds in relation to previous decisions and staff supported people to be as independent as possible. There were appropriate procedures to ensure people’s safety where they were known to regularly make risky and unwise decisions.
People’s care needs were assessed and identified before support was provided and care plans gave staff clear guidance on how to support people. Care records demonstrated planned care had been provided and that necessary referrals for external support had been made promptly.
Staff had the skills necessary to meet people’s needs and were well motivated by their managers. Staff training was regularly updated and team meetings held to enable information and learning to be shared. All staff received regular formal supervision from managers during which career development was encouraged.
Quality assurance systems were effective, and the provider’s directors supported the service’s leadership team effectively.
People's experience of this service
We visited 8 people in their own homes who were receiving support from the domiciliary care service. During these visits staff provided support with compassion and responded positively to people’s individual requests. People were comfortable talking and laughing with the staff, whose company they enjoyed.
People were complimentary of their support staff and told us, “I feel safe with carers”, “Always they chat along and make it a pleasure to have them here” and “The staff are all brilliant, very considerate, kind and supportive”.
People were confident they would receive their support as planned and that staff would arrive on time. No one reported having experienced a recent missed visit. People’s comments included, “They have never missed a visit” and “You can guarantee the carer will be on time”
People knew how to contact the service’s managers and were confident any issues they reported would be addressed. They told us, “Karrek have been a wonderful source of support. They have a 24 hour call line that I’ve been glad to use late at night” and “If something worries me, I talk to my carer and they are helpful. I know I can go to the manager if I need to”.