- Homecare service
Brighter Days Care at Home
Assessment report published 15 July 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 10 June to 2 July 2025. Brighter Days Care at Home is a domiciliary care agency which provides the regulated activity personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of this assessment there were 98 people using this service. We assessed this service due to concerns received about the culture and management approach, staff not being trained to administer medicines and recruitment processes. We did not find any evidence to substantiate any of the concerns received.
Staff had been recruited safely and with the required pre-employment checks being completed. This included a check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Staff received a thorough induction which was completed face to face at the office location. Staff were provided with a range of training and there were enough staff available to safely meet people’s needs.
People had risk management plans recorded which were regularly reviewed and updated when appropriate. The provider made sure risk was reviewed for environments and use of equipment. Staff were provided with training to use all equipment and the provider made sure equipment was safe to use. Staff followed safe infection prevention and control guidelines and used personal protective equipment safely.
Feedback about the management approach was positive. People, relatives and staff told us they felt the management team were approachable, responsive and managed the service well. Regular checks for quality and safety were completed and areas for improvement identified. There were regular staff and management meetings to share information, review actions for improvement and discuss any shortfalls.
The service was open to feedback from any source and demonstrated a positive approach to learning and development.
However, we did receive feedback from people about continuity issues with their care workers. The provider had also received this feedback and were taking steps to make improvements.
Further, medicines were not consistently managed safely. We found gaps in recording for some medicines. Staff had been provided with medicines training and regularly received checks of their competence.
People's experience of this service
People told us they felt safe using the service and staff were mindful of risks to their safety. Where any incidents or accidents had occurred, people told us staff reviewed and looked at ways to prevent recurrence.
People said staff had never missed any calls and were only occasionally late due to traffic. People thought staff were kind and friendly.
People said they knew how to complain and felt able to raise any concerns if needed. People had been asked for feedback either during care reviews or by surveys.
People and their relatives were very appreciative of the support provided by the service when moving between services or being discharged from hospital. One relative told us, “The company were brilliant. [Staff member] came in, she was wonderful, got on really well with [family member] as soon as they met. She took over and really helped me, it was such a weight off my shoulders.”
Everyone we spoke with told us the service was well managed, and they would not hesitate to recommend it to others.