- Homecare service
Premier Care - Halton Branch
Assessment report published 27 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: Remote activity began on 21 September 2026.
Premier Care Halton provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes in the community. At the time of the inspection there were 184 people receiving support.
We completed this inspection remotely, which means we did not physically visit the office location.
People and relatives were positive about the care provided and consistently told us they felt safe, well supported and treated with kindness, dignity and respect. They spoke positively about the continuity of care provided by regular staff, responsive management, effective communication and the positive impact care had on their wellbeing, recovery and ability to remain independent at home.
Staff demonstrated a good understanding of safeguarding responsibilities, skin integrity management, medicines support and reporting concerns, and most told us they felt supported and had sufficient time to provide care. Evidence showed the provider had policies and processes in place to support safeguarding, complaints management, consent, whistleblowing and partnership working. There was also evidence of positive community engagement and responsive action when concerns or complaints were raised.
However, concerns were identified in relation to governance and record keeping. Although people's experiences of care were largely positive, records did not always provide assurance that care was delivered consistently in line with care plans. We found examples of incomplete recording relating to pressure care, skin integrity monitoring, nutrition, repositioning and medicines-related care. Some care plans contained contradictory, unclear or outdated information and did not always fully reflect risks or guidance from external professionals.
We also identified concerns regarding the effectiveness of oversight of recurring risks, including fire safety incidents, behavioural incidents and medication-related alerts. Audits had previously identified weaknesses in care planning, staff records and call-time monitoring. Although the provider had implemented extensive improvement plans and many actions had been completed, some evidence suggested improvements had not always been consistently embedded or sustained.
Overall, people received caring and person-centred support from committed staff, but further work was needed to strengthen governance systems, record keeping, and quality assurance processes to ensure improvements were consistently maintained and people were fully protected from potential risks.
We have identified a breach in relation to governance and record keeping.
We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this inspection.
People's experience of this service
People and relatives spoke positively about their experiences of receiving care from Premier Care - Halton Branch. Many described staff as caring, reliable and respectful, and told us they had built strong relationships with regular carers. One person said, “The standard of care never varies,” while another told us, “I have a real bond with them.” A relative said, “We are very happy with the service and would be lost without it.”
People told us they felt safe receiving care and valued having regular staff who understood their needs and preferences. One person said, “I’ve never felt unsafe,” and a relative told us, “I’ve always felt she’s been safe in their care.” Several people described receiving support from consistent staff teams and said new staff were usually introduced alongside experienced carers.
People and relatives consistently praised the caring nature of staff. One relative said, “They often get [person] singing with them during a visit, which [person] enjoys.” Another told us, “They are very good at protecting [person’s] dignity.” People said staff respected their wishes and involved them in decisions about their care. One person told us, “In every way they 100% respect my wishes,” while another said staff were “very good at treating us as individuals.”
Relatives described positive outcomes from the support people received. One relative told us, “[Person] is back to her old self,” following a period of ill health, while another said, “[Person] is more confident and tells me [they] are happy with the care.” People and relatives felt staff noticed changes in wellbeing and took appropriate action when concerns arose.
People generally knew how to raise concerns and felt listened to when they did so. Several gave examples of issues being addressed promptly. One person said, “They never sent that person again, so I was pleased to be taken seriously,” and a relative told us, “It was dealt with very quickly.”
Not everyone had the same experience. One person told us visit times did not always suit their needs and said, “Time keeping hasn’t been good.” They also said their preference for female carers was not always respected. However, most people described positive relationships with staff, with 1 person summarising their experience by saying, “It’s happy days really!” Overall, feedback indicated people felt cared for, respected and supported by staff who knew them well.