The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded the rating of Active Homecare from good to outstanding following an inspection in May.

Run by Active Homecare Ltd, the service supports people living in their own homes with personal care, including people living with an acquired brain injury. The service was supporting 30 people with CQC-regulated care at the time of this inspection. CQC carried out this inspection as part of CQC’s routine monitoring of care services.

CQC has raised Active Homecare’s ratings for caring and well-led from good to outstanding. CQC has rated the service good again for being safe and responsive. This inspection didn’t examine effective, which remains rated good from a previous inspection.

Stuart Dunn, CQC deputy director of operations in the East of England, said:

“When we inspected Active Homecare, we were impressed by the kind, person-centred, and exceptional care that staff provided people. They were supported by a strong management team, who set high expectations for people’s care and listened closely to people’s feedback.

“Staff regularly went above and beyond expectations, such as by taking people out for birthday celebrations on their own time. People told us they felt listened to and respected when planning their care, and we found staff took great interest in people’s needs, wishes, interests and life stories to plan care that was personalised to them.

“For example, one person had set a goal to lose weight and eat healthier, but suffered a lot of anxiety. So, a staff member started exercising with them at the gym, which stopped them feeling embarrassed, while another supported them with healthy batch cooking, improving their confidence and self-esteem.

“Everyone we spoke to praised their staff. Many told us how they’d improved their independence, such as by adapting one person’s home to meet their needs without having to use their stairs, meaning they didn’t have to move into a care home.

“Staff also supported people to continue enjoying their interests, such as by helping someone with a degenerative condition to re-join an arts and crafts club they used to enjoy, and planning a trip to the zoo because they loved animals.

“The management made this person-centred approach possible by investing in their staff, through training and daily support. They encouraged feedback from everyone to continually improve the service. If things went wrong, they investigated transparently and made changes to protect people in future.

“We found the management and staff were rightfully proud of the care they’re providing. We’ve shared our findings with them, and we hope others look to this report as an example of great practice.”

Inspectors found:

  • Staff knew how to keep people safe and what to do it an emergency. Staff had spotted dangerous health problems, such as a faulty piece of medical equipment or an infected wound, and got them into medical care fast.
  • Staff knew people well. One person had lost confidence leaving their house, but was a big football fan. A staff member raised their mood by contacting one of their favourite football players, who made a personalised video for them.
  • Staff knew how to communicate with people, and always made sure their views were heard.
  • The service understood and protected people’s human rights, enabling them to make as many choices as possible in their care.
  • Staff sought out people’s preferred routines, so that care could fit into their lives instead of having to change their lives to fit care.
  • The service had strong links with the local community, working in partnership with other organisations to meet people’s needs and improve their wellbeing.
  • Outside health professionals told inspectors they were impressed by the knowledge and dedication of the staff.

The report will be published on CQC’s website in the coming days.