Date of assessment: 15/07/25 - 29/07/25 You Before Me Care is a domiciliary care service registered to provide personal care to individuals living in their own homes.At the time of our assessment there were 9 people receiving a regulated activity. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. Personal care is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do provide personal care, we also consider any wider social care provided during our assessment. This was a responsive assessment. During the assessment we spoke with staff, people and their relatives and other stakeholders such as health and social care professionals to get their feedback about how people’s personal care needs were being met. The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulations in relation to fit and proper persons employed. At this assessment we found that here had been enough improvements made that the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation. Since the last assessment the providers systems and processes in place had improved and they were effective in assessing, monitoring and improving the quality of the service. People’s care was person-centred and reflected their individual needs and preferences.
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You Before Me Care received an overall rating of Requires Improvement at its first inspection, with breaches of Regulation 19 due to unsafe recruitment practices including missing references and unexplained employment history gaps. Caring, effective and responsive care was largely well-delivered, but governance and oversight weaknesses — particularly around late calls, recruitment records and the registered manager's understanding of legal obligations — undermined safety and leadership.
Concerns (9)
criticalStaffing levels: “References had not been taken up for all staff members employed. The registered manager explained that as they employed family members, taking up references had not been necessary.”
criticalGovernance: “Recruitment procedures were not established and operated effectively to ensure the safety of persons employed. Breach of Regulation 19 HSCA RA Regulations 2014.”
moderateMissed or late visits: “Usually they come at 8am but we have to phone up when they are late. Times vary, and one concern is they turn up quite late.”
moderateMedication management: “The information about staff members responsibility to give medicines was confusing... It is unclear what responsibility the staff member had if all medicines were managed and administered by the relative.”
moderateRecord keeping: “The recruitment records were disorganised both on paper and on the computer systems... gaps in the employment history of staff which had not been explained or recorded.”
moderateLeadership: “The registered manager was not always clear about their role and responsibilities... had not fully understood their legal obligations such as providing statutory notifications.”
moderateGovernance: “Improvement was needed in the monitoring and reduction of late calls and the oversight of recruitment records.”
minorPerson-centred care: “People were not asked during the assessment process their preference for the gender of staff member to provide their care.”
minorInfection control: “The provider's infection prevention and control policy was not up to date at the time of the inspection but was being reviewed and amended.”
Strengths
· People felt safe and gave positive feedback; staff were described as kind, caring and respectful of privacy and dignity.
· Risks to people's health and wellbeing were assessed and adequately recorded in care plans.
· Staff received all necessary training including safeguarding, medicines administration, infection control and end of life care.
· Competency checks and spot checks of staff were completed to monitor performance.
· Staff received regular supervision and felt supported by the registered manager.
Quality-Statement breakdown (23)
safe: Staffing and recruitmentRequires improvement
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementGood
safe: Using medicines safelyRequires improvement
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
safe: Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
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
effective: Ensuring consent to care and treatment in line with law and guidanceGood
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 requirementsRequires improvement
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 care; Working in partnership with othersRequires improvement