- Homecare service
Because We Care Northampton
Assessment report published 26 August 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Assessment date: 10 to 23 June 2025. Because We Care Northampton is a domiciliary care agency providing support to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. At the time of inspection, 7 people were receiving personal care support.
There were widespread and significant shortfalls in leadership, governance, and the delivery of safe, effective care. People and their relatives spoke positively about the kindness and attentiveness of individual staff, however, the assessment found that care was not always person-centred or delivered in line with best practice. Staff had not received sufficient training, and there were no systems in place to assess their competence. Care plans lacked personalisation and did not reflect people’s preferences, goals, or cultural needs. People’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act were not upheld. The provider did not demonstrate a learning culture. Incidents were not consistently investigated, and opportunities to improve safety were missed. Safeguarding concerns were not always recognised or acted upon. Medicines were not managed safely, and documentation was inconsistent. Risk assessments were incomplete or lacked sufficient detail to mitigate known risks. Although staff demonstrated compassion and respect to people, records showed dismissive language used by leaders. Care plans lacked detail about people’s individual identities, preferences, and aspirations. Leadership was ineffective. The registered manager and provider failed to ensure compliance with their regulatory responsibilities. There was no effective system to monitor quality or drive improvement. Staff did not always feel listened to, and there was limited evidence of meaningful engagement or support.
The provider was in breach of the legal regulations relating to safe care and treatment, safeguarding, staff recruitment, medicines management and consent. The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to staffing and governance. Improvements were not found at this assessment, and the provider remained in breach of these legal regulations. The 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 use 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.
People's experience of this service
People and their relatives shared positive views about the care they received, describing staff as kind, caring, and respectful. They appreciated continuity of care and being supported by a small, consistent team of carers, which helped build trust and familiarity. Comments included, “I feel very blessed that we have them as carers.”, “I’m perfectly happy with the carers I get.” and “They always listen to me. This is what makes them special to me.” Staff were described as friendly and attentive, with people noting carers were able to anticipate their health needs and act promptly.
However, the assessment identified several areas where the service did not meet expected standards. People were at risk due to ineffective risk management, safeguarding practice and medicines management. People were supported by staff that had not completed sufficient training and had not had their skills and knowledge assessed. Care plans lacked personalisation and did not always reflect people’s preferences, goals, or cultural and religious needs. People’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act were not upheld, with no evidence of capacity assessments or best interest decisions being made.