FCNA Homecare

Updated 23 January 2026

Date of assessment: 29 January 2026 to 18 March 2026.

FCNA Homecare provides personal care to people living in their own homes. Personal care is a regulated activity and includes support with daily tasks such as personal hygiene and eating. At the time of this assessment, the provider was supporting 9 people with a regulated activity. The assessment was arranged to follow up on the previous Requires Improvement rating and breaches of regulations in 2023.

The assessment found gaps in how the provider supported people to make decisions about their care and treatment. Records did not show that important decisions were consistently assessed, recorded, or reviewed, and there was limited evidence of oversight where restrictions or complex medicines were involved.

There were also weaknesses in how the provider managed risks and safety. Medicines were not always reviewed when concerns arose, incidents such as falls were not consistently assessed to decide whether further action was needed, and there was limited evidence of routine checks to make sure people’s environments and equipment were safe.

Governance and oversight systems were not effective. The provider did not consistently ensure that required information about the service was accurate, recruitment checks were incomplete and not identified through internal review, and plans for dealing with emergencies or serious disruption were not being put into practice. There was little evidence that these plans had been tested or that learning was used to improve practice. Overall, systems for reviewing quality, monitoring risks and learning from events were weak.

Some people were not always sure when staff would arrive, which reduced confidence in the reliability of visit timings. However, people and families described staff as kind and respectful, and said staff responded appropriately to their needs during visits. Although people spoke positively about staff interactions, these weaknesses meant the provider could not show that risks were identified, monitored and acted on consistently across the service.

The service has been rated inadequate. We identified 3 breaches of the legal regulations. The provider was in breach of legal regulations in relation to the need for consent, safe care and treatment and good governance.

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 user our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide

In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.
 

Updated 23 January 2026

People and relatives consistently described caring, respectful staff who supported day to day routines and communicated well during personal care. One relative said, “They are kind and gentle with her and I am very pleased with them.” Many people felt staff knew them well, noticed changes in mood or comfort, and adapted the pace of support accordingly. Several relatives reported that carers knocked on arrival, explained what they were doing, and protected the person’s privacy during care tasks.

However, while people generally expressed satisfaction with the care they received from individual staff, our assessment found that elements of the provider’s systems did not always support consistent, timely and well‑coordinated care. These system gaps affected how reliably some people and families experienced the service.

People and relatives highlighted the usefulness of the digital application for visibility and reassurance about visits and tasks. A family member told us, “It’s going well, all the visits have been prompt, the [Care System] App is a great way of checking things have been done – what we have asked them to do.” Others described being able to see what the person had eaten or drunk and how care had gone that day. However, access was not consistent: one relative said they had not been given app details, which limited their visibility of care information.

Feedback about timekeeping was mixed. Several families said visits happened within expected windows and carers stayed the full duration; others experienced variability that made mornings hard to plan. One relative reported, “No, they are all over the show… any time between 10 and 11.30 a.m. for 45 minutes.” People who gave feedback told us they felt able to contact the manager directly and described leadership as approachable and responsive when they raised day to day issues.

Where people had complex needs, families said carers were gentle, patient and attentive. For example, using hoists safely, preparing thickened drinks, blending food, and encouraging communication. Some relatives said staff checked preferences, involved them in practical arrangements, such as pharmacy liaison or appointment timing, and helped reduce loneliness by supporting community activities.

Overall, lived experience evidence shows people felt safe, valued kind and respectful interactions, and appreciated clear communication and visibility through the app. At the same time, inconsistent access to information and variable visit timings reduced confidence for some families. These findings align with our wider assessment: positive caring relationships in daily practice, but gaps in the provider’s systems for consistency, timeliness and information sharing.