- Homecare service
Sentricare Birmingham
Assessment report published 15 April 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 20 January 2026 to 20 February 2026. Sentricare Care is a homecare service providing the regulated activities of personal care to people living in their own homes. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. Personal care includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where this support is provided, we also consider any wider social care delivered as part of the service.
At the time of our inspection there were 26 people receiving personal care supported by the service.
We carried out this inspection, due to the length of time since the last inspection, and to follow up on previous breaches.” We completed the inspection under key questions Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-Led.
The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulations in relation to person centred care, dignity and respect, need for consent, safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment, receiving and acting on complaints, staffing, fit and proper persons employed, duty of candour. Improvements were found at this assessment, and the provider was no longer in breach of these regulations.
The overall rating at this assessment is requires improvement. We identified 2 continued breaches of the legal regulations in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance.
Auditing processes were not always effective in identifying shortfalls. Medication administration records (MAR) records did not always accurately reflect prescribed medicines, administration instructions, and did not always correspond with blister packs or medication pen pictures.
There was limited evidence of meaningful involvement of people using the service, or their relatives in governance or quality improvement processes. Governance processes did not identify inconsistencies in care and medicines records.
There was a registered manager in post. The provider worked with local authorities and district nursing services. They also supported people who had paid for their care privately.
People were treated with kindness and compassion. Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff treated people as individuals and supported their preferences. People had choice in their care and were encouraged to maintain relationships with family and friends. The provider supported staff wellbeing.
The provider supported a small number of people with a learning disability or autistic people. 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.
Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. People and staff with protected characteristics felt supported. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities.
We found the provider and registered manager responsive to our feedback throughout the course of the inspection.
We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.
Recruitment processes were robust, with staff having completed Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, employment history verification, and induction training. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities.
This service has been in Special Measures since 04/12/2024. The provider demonstrated improvements that have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.
The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulations in relation to person centred care, dignity and respect, need for consent, safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment, receiving and acting on complaints, staffing, fit and proper persons employed, duty of candour. Improvements were found at this assessment, and the provider was no longer in breach of these regulations.
People's experience of this service
Feedback from people and their relatives presented a mixed picture of the service. While some described the care as generally acceptable and meeting basic needs, there were recurring concerns that affected people’s overall experience. Positive feedback highlighted continuity of care in some cases, prompt responses when complaints were raised, and staff who were described as kind and respectful. One relative told us, “The consistency of having the same main carer has really helped [name of person].”
However, some people and their relatives told us they sometimes experienced rushed visits, staff not always staying for the full allocated time, and inconsistent timekeeping without prior notification. Care was sometimes described as task‑focused rather than person‑centred. Families of people living with dementia, in particular, reported feeling the need to closely monitor care delivery. One relative told us, “They can be late and no one lets us know.” Another relative told us, “I wouldn’t be comfortable leaving them alone with [name of person]”