If you’re researching live-in care – for yourself or a loved one – chances are you’ll have read about the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The CQC is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. It monitors, inspects and regulates care services – including 24-hour live-in care – listening to feedback from the people receiving care, and their families.
The aim of the CQC is to give people reassurance and peace of mind that their live-in home care is meeting the required standards.
If standards are not met, and the CQC has concerns, it has the power to take action to protect people.
As part of an inspection of a live-in home care service, the CQC will do an in-person visit, talking to people and gathering evidence.
They will meet clients, family members, staff, other healthcare professionals and the service’s management. Inspectors will also observe care, review records and inspect policies.
After the inspection, CQC inspectors will write a report and give it one of four ratings:
This overall rating is underpinned by ratings in five key areas, judging whether a service is:
After an inspection, the CQC produces a comprehensive report detailing the reasons for its overall rating and its findings under each of the key key areas, and highlighting any areas for concern. You can read each report on the CQC website.
Our live-in care service (elderly people and younger adults) is organised into three geographical teams: Central, South-East and South-West.
Working like this means the teams can really get to know their local area, and build strong networks of care workers. Each team is led by an experienced manager, who supports not only the care team members, but also the clients and their families.
All three of our teams were inspected by the CQC in 2019, and we’re delighted and proud that each team was found to be ‘Good’ by the inspectors. They achieved a ‘Good’ rating in every one of the five key areas.
You can read each team’s comprehensive report online, and here also is a flavour of how our live-in care service makes a positive difference to people’s lives: