Date of Assessment: 12 February to 04 March 2026. This assessment was prompted by a review of the information we held about the service. Apex Prime Care Basingstoke provides care and support to people living in their own home. The service provided care and support for adults with physical disabilities, sensory impairments, dementia, mental health conditions, learning disabilities and autism. Not everyone who used the service was receiving the regulated activities of personal care. At the time of our inspection, they were supporting 204 people with personal care. We reviewed all 33 quality statements across the five key questions. The service supported some people with a learning disability. 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 found that people were supported in accordance with this guidance. During our assessment, we identified 3 breaches of legal regulations. We found concerns relating to person‑centred care, safe care and treatment and good governance (including records). People were not always supported in line with their personal preferences, particularly during personal care, which caused distress. People were not always involved in decisions about their care, including care plan reviews. Medicines were not always safe, people’s care records were not always comprehensive and risks were not always identified. Records relating to people’s risks were not always detailed or accurate enough to support staff to keep people safe including information held in people’s homes about managing fire risks. Quality monitoring systems required strengthening to ensure shortfalls would be identified and addressed promptly. Governance shortfalls resulted in breaches of regulations. The provider did not ensure people received care from consistent staff, and people told us they did not always know who would be visiting them, which caused anxiety. Staff were mostly recruited safely and received training relevant to their roles. However, we found gaps in training for diabetes and end of life Staff did not always feel supported and had been left without a manager for a prolonged period. People told us they also felt let down by management. A new manager had recently been appointed, and a robust action plan had been developed to improve the service. Staff told us they treated people equally and without discrimination. Systems were in place for people to raise concerns or complaints, although some people were not aware of how to make a complaint or who to contact. Some people did not feel listened too. We have asked the provider to submit an action plan setting out how they will address the concerns identified during this assessment.
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Apex Prime Care - Basingstoke received an overall Good rating across all five key questions at its first inspection in February 2023, with people consistently reporting safe, kind, and person-centred care. Recommendations were made regarding medicines recording practices and embedding Mental Capacity Act principles, but no regulatory breaches were identified.
Concerns (5)
moderateConsent / capacity: “we found 2 examples where relatives had signed to give consent to care plans on behalf of their loved one as they were unable to do so due to their physical needs.”
minorMedication management: “where some people required a time delay between their medicines being administered and foods being offered, this was not consistently recorded.”
minorMedication management: “information on signs and symptoms staff should look for could be more robust.”
minorStaff competency: “not all staff's competency to administer medicines assessments had been reviewed in line with the provider's policy or best practice guidance.”
minorCommunication with families: “we received feedback from some relatives that they did not always know what actions had been taken when they shared feedback with the office.”
Strengths
· People consistently reported feeling safe and receiving kind, dignified, and respectful care from staff who knew them well.
· Comprehensive person-centred care plans captured people's needs, choices, preferences, life history, and communication requirements.
· Robust safeguarding processes in place with staff trained to recognise and raise concerns; manager made appropriate referrals.
· Registered manager was open, transparent, and took immediate action in response to inspection feedback.
· Electronic systems used effectively to monitor care call delivery, medicines administration, and identify discrepancies quickly.
Quality-Statement breakdown (24)
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Staffing and recruitmentGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
safe: Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
effective: Assessing people's needs and choices, delivering care in line with standards, guidance and the lawGood
effective: Staff support: induction, training, skills, and experienceGood
effective: Supporting people to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced dietGood
effective: Staff working with other agencies to provide consistent, effective, timely careGood
caring: Ensuring people are well treated and supported; respecting equality and diversityGood
caring: Supporting people to express their views and be involved in making decisions about their careGood
caring: Respecting and promoting people's privacy, dignity, and independenceGood
responsive: Planning personalised care to ensure people have choice and control and to meet their needs and preferencesGood
responsive: Meeting people's communication needsGood
responsive: Improving care quality in response to complaints or concernsGood
responsive: End of life care and supportGood
well-led: Managers and staff being clear about their roles, and understanding quality performance, risks and regulatory requirementsGood
well-led: Promoting a positive culture that is person-centred, open, inclusive and empoweringGood
well-led: How the provider understands and acts on the duty of candourGood
well-led: Engaging and involving people using the service, the public and staffGood
well-led: Continuous learning and improving careGood