Dates of assessment: 29 October 2025 to 21 November 2025. Patkay Care Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency, providing care and support to people living in their own homes. We carried out this assessment to check whether the provider had made improvements since our last inspection. At the time of our assessment, the service was supporting 31 people with personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. Safe staffing levels were in place and staff had the training and support to carry out their role. Recruitment was managed safely. There was an established staff team who knew people well and fostered caring and trusting relationships with people and relatives. Call times were well organised to support people’s needs and preferences. Risks to people’s health, safety and wellbeing were assessed and regularly reviewed. Some improvements were required in relation to the management of medicines, but we found people were receiving their medication as prescribed. Governance arrangements had been strengthened and there were a range of audits and checks in place. The registered manager was accessible and approachable and committed to supporting staff and providing a person-centred, high-quality service. They worked in partnership with people, relatives and stakeholders. The provider was previously in breach of legal regulations in relation to safe recruitment. Improvements were found at this assessment, and the provider was no longer in breach of legal regulations. We found the overall quality of the service had improved and the rating has changed from requires improvement to good.
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Patkay Care Services Ltd, a small homecare agency, was rated Requires Improvement overall at its first inspection, with a regulatory breach identified for failing to complete DBS checks and references before staff commenced employment. Governance and auditing systems were insufficiently robust, though care delivery, staff training, and person-centred practice were consistently praised by people and relatives.
Concerns (7)
criticalStaffing levels — “Staff were not safely recruited as background checks were not in place when staff started their employment.”
criticalRecord keeping — “Both staff files we looked at were missing a last employer reference...A formal record of both interviews had not been made.”
criticalGovernance — “Auditing systems had not identified improvements needed in the safe recruitment of staff. We found a breach of regulation in this area.”
moderateCare planning — “People did not always have up-to-date risk assessments as part of their care plans.”
moderateMedication management — “A medication audit for August 2022 found some, but not all of the issues we looked at regarding occasional gaps in medicines administration.”
moderateIncident learning — “The registered manager openly made us aware of two incidents they referred to local authority safeguarding teams. However, these events had not been reported to the CQC.”
minorMissed or late visits — “Visit times for the first week in August 2022 showed call times were not always consistent with agreed call times.”
Strengths
· Staff received safeguarding training and were able to describe appropriate action to take in response to abuse allegations.
· Staff received medication training with competency checks; people largely received medicines as prescribed.
· High levels of training completion including the Care Certificate; staff received thorough induction and monthly supervisions.
· Registered manager strongly promoted people's equality, human rights, diversity and inclusion.
· Care plans contained sufficient detail; reviews took place every six months or sooner when needs changed.
Quality-Statement breakdown (24)
safe: Staffing and recruitmentRequires improvement
safe: Assessing risk, safety monitoring and managementRequires improvement
safe: Systems and processes to safeguard people from the risk of abuseGood
safe: Using medicines safelyGood
safe: Learning lessons when things go wrongGood
safe: Preventing and controlling infectionGood
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; supporting people to live healthier livesGood
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 controlGood
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: Engaging and involving people using the service, the public and staffGood
well-led: How the provider understands and acts on the duty of candourRequires improvement
well-led: Continuous learning and improving careGood