- Homecare service
Assist Care Group - Surrey
Assessment report published 14 October 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment 5 August 2026 to 21 August 2026. Assist Care Group - Surrey is a care at home service providing personal care and support to adults of all ages, some of whom were living with dementia, physical and sensory impairment, autistic people and people with a learning disability. Not everyone using the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of this assessment there were 37 people receiving care and support.
We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.
Staff supported people with kindness, compassion and dignity. The provider prioritised workforce wellbeing and enabled staff to deliver highly personalised care. Staff respected people’s privacy, dignity and individuality in every aspect of their work. They extended shifts, waited with people for ambulances, supported families through sudden end-of-life situations and ensured no one faced distress without support. People and relatives praised staff’s compassion, professionalism and commitment. Longstanding relationships helped staff build trust and provide continuity.
Staff responded particularly well to people’s immediate needs. They recognised changes in people’s health or circumstances, escalated concerns promptly and coordinated urgent help with GPs, district nurses, paramedics, pharmacies and hospitals. The provider adjusted staffing after hospital discharge, arranged care at short notice and ensured carers waited for people returning home late at night. The provider’s ‘Report to Support’ process and live operational oversight enabled managers to triage and act on frontline concerns immediately, minimising people’s discomfort, distress and risk.
Leaders embedded workforce wellbeing and enablement throughout the service. They prioritised staff welfare by providing mental health support, flexible working, regular supervision, competency development and immediate assistance when staff faced difficult situations. Staff felt valued, listened to and empowered to influence decisions. The provider retained staff exceptionally well, which gave people experienced carers, continuity of care and trusted relationships.
Leaders created a clear vision based on transparency, equality, human rights and inclusion, informed by their strong understanding of people, staff and local communities. Staff understood these values and described leaders as visible, approachable and accountable. Leaders used digital systems to maintain real-time oversight, communicate transparently and share learning.
The service fostered a strong speaking-up culture. Staff raised issues openly, anonymously or through a confidential email that only senior managers could access, and leaders clearly signposted independent escalation routes. Through regular meetings, supervision, independent surveys and ‘you said, we did’ feedback, leaders strengthened psychological safety and showed staff that they acted promptly on concerns and ideas.
Leaders promoted workforce equality, diversity and inclusion within the organisation and challenged inequality and structural bias across the sector. They contributed to local and national discussions about modern slavery, travel expenses and minimum-wage compliance, reviewed policies to identify discriminatory barriers and used staff feedback to shape improvements.
The provider placed learning, improvement and innovation at the centre of its approach. Leaders systematically analysed incidents, complaints, safeguarding concerns and medicines errors and turned learning into preventive action. They used independent feedback to strengthen transparency and technology to connect staff’s real-time reports directly with relevant policy guidance. The provider also developed software to analyse electronic call-monitoring and contractual data relating to travel time, working-time requirements and minimum wage, aiming to improve workforce equity and care quality across the wider sector.
Staff kept people safe, assessed and reviewed their needs, managed medicines effectively and coordinated care with health and community partners. When people raised concerns about visit timings or infection-control practice, the provider recognised the issues, acted promptly and strengthened oversight, training and monitoring. Overall, staff delivered exceptional compassionate care, while distinctive leadership drove personalised support, timely interventions, workforce stability and continuous improvement.
People's experience of this service
People who used the service and their relatives generally provided positive feedback about the care and support they received. Feedback indicated people felt safe, well supported and confident in the care provided. People’s experiences reflected staff delivered care in a way that promoted safety and trust, supported by clear communication and responsive action when issues arose. One person told us, “I spoke to the office [about a concern I had]. It was dealt with quickly and to my satisfaction."
We received mixed feedback about the timing of care visits. Some people told us they did not always get visits at the planned time, but most people told us visits were reliable and staff generally arrived on time. One person said, “[I have] never had a missed call and if they are running late, I have had calls to say.” People described receiving care that met their needs and supported them to maintain their independence and wellbeing. Care was delivered in a consistent manner by longstanding staff, which contributed to people feeling safe and reassured in the staff supporting them. One person said, “I feel safe with my [staff member as] I have had [them] for long time.”
People’s experiences showed staff were caring, respectful and attentive in their approach. Relationships between staff, people and relatives were positive, and people felt valued and treated with dignity. Staff took time to understand people and communicated effectively, which supported meaningful engagement. One person said, “[Staff] are always kind, they are fantastic.”
Staff knew people well, respected their privacy, dignity, choices and communication needs, and adapted care immediately when circumstances changed. People and relatives described staff going above and beyond during acute illness, hospital discharge and end of life situations, waiting with people for ambulances, arranging urgent support, liaising promptly with health professionals and ensuring no one was left unsupported. Longstanding staff relationships provided continuity and trust, while flexible, highly personalised care helped people retain independence and, in one case, regain it sufficiently to no longer need care hours.
People felt listened to, safe and confident that concerns would be acted on quickly, demonstrating an exceptional service that delivered compassionate care and meaningful outcomes when people needed support most.