- Homecare service
Sugarman Health and Wellbeing - Watford
Assessment report published 10 June 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Sugarman Health and Wellbeing - Watford is a domiciliary care agency providing nursing and personal care to people with complex clinical needs living in their own homes. Some people were living with a learning disability, but this was not their primary care need. At the time of our inspection 34 people were supported. This was a comprehensive assessment covering all key questions and quality statements completed between 3 April and 7 May 2025. 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. We identified breaches in regulations in relation to staff competency, medicines management, managing risk, and governance.
The provider had not ensured staff were competent to provide care and treatment safely and people’s medicines were not always managed well. The provider had not ensured people’s care was provided in accordance with their care plans. People’s care plans and risk assessments contained some inconsistencies and staff had not completed records well.
The provider worked with other professionals and people were supported to access other services as required. People’s capacity assessments to consent to care were not always completed correctly.
Staff treated people with kindness and understood their communication needs. The provider collected information on people’s cultural needs and social interests and people were supported with activities. People were supported to maintain their independence. The provider had not always promoted staff wellbeing; some told us they did not feel supported.
People’s care records were personalised, and they received care from regular staff. The provider had dealt with concerns people and their relatives raised and no formal complaints had been received.
The provider’s systems and processes to monitor the quality and safety of the service were not always effective. The registered manager was responsive to feedback where improvements were required. Staff did not all feel supported in their roles with some describing issues with communication with the office team. The registered manager had not always identified actions and shared learning from incidents.
People's experience of this service
Most people and their relatives felt people were well looked after and safe and appreciated care from the same staff members most of the time.
People and their relatives gave mixed feedback about staff competence and training but described staff as kind and caring and felt they made a difference to their quality of life.
People’s relatives felt staff understood their family members’ needs and preferences and supported them to be independent.
People gave mixed feedback about communication with the office with some telling us they always received a response and others saying they struggled to contact them. However, when concerns were raised, they felt issues were addressed promptly.