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Walfinch Hampstead & Camden

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Suite 11, 25 - 27 Heath Street, London, NW3 6TR (020) 3963 9306

Provided and run by:
Steve Elliott Homecare Ltd

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of Assessment: 25 November 2025 to 8 December 2025. Walfinch Hampstead Camden is a domiciliary care service. It provides support and personal care to older people living in their own homes, some of whom live with dementia. At the time of our assessment there were 5 people receiving personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspect the service received by people provided with personal care; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.

We conducted this assessment to follow up on concerns we identified at the last inspection. These included a breach of Regulation relating to safe care and treatment. The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 13 December 2021). At this assessment we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of Regulation. The overall rating for the service has changed to good.

Appropriate systems were now in place for people to receive medicines as prescribed. An electronic system was in place to monitor medicines administration and management had oversight of this. People received person centred care and support delivered by a staff team who treated them with dignity and respect. People's relatives told us care staff were kind, caring and professional. The provider had a good learning culture. There was an open culture where people and relatives were encouraged to provide feedback and speak openly about their experience of care and support.

There were enough staff with the right skills, qualifications and experience. Management made sure staff received training and regular supervision to provide high-quality care and make improvements. People and those important to them were involved in the assessment of their needs. Management carried out assessments considering people’s communication and spiritual needs, their preferences and health needs.

Staff worked with all agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions. They monitored people’s health to support healthy living. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and involved those important to people regarding decisions made in people’s best interests where they did not have capacity. Staff said they felt supported by the registered manager and felt valued working at the service.

Governance systems were in place to help monitor care provision. The service sought feedback from people and relatives as part of their quality monitoring to help ensure people were satisfied with their care and identify issues without delay. The culture in the service was positive. The registered manager was open and transparent and welcomed feedback.

2 November 2021

During a routine inspection

About the service

Walfinch Hampstead & Camden is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides support to people of different abilities. At the time of inspection, the service provided care to eight people, four of whom received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspect the service received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service:

Feedback indicated that people and relatives were satisfied with the care and services provided. They spoke positively about the agency.

Medicines were not always being managed safely by the provider and we found a breach of regulation in respect of this.

People were protected from abuse. Staff had received training on how to safeguard people and were aware of the procedure to follow if they suspected that people were subject to abuse.

People's care needs were risk assessed and care plans provided staff with the information to manage the identified risk.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The provider had taken measures to prevent and control the spread of COVID -19 and other infections.

The provider had a complaints policy and procedure in place. The management team were open and transparent throughout the inspection and responded to any requests positively.

Management monitored aspects of the quality of the services through regular audits and checks. However, the provider's quality systems were not sufficiently robust to identify the concerns we highlighted with the management of medicines.

Staff told us they felt trained and supported. They were confident that management would address any concerns around their personal development and the safety of people who use the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The service was registered with us on 28 November 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned comprehensive inspection to review the key questions, Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led and rate this service.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation to safe care and treatment at this inspection.

Follow up:

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress.