Home Instead Central Leeds achieved a Good rating across all five key questions at its first CQC inspection, with people and relatives consistently praising the compassionate, reliable and personalised care delivered by a small, stable staff team. Minor governance gaps were identified, including a late CQC notification of an abuse allegation, incomplete staff meeting records, and a medication blister pack recording issue, all of which the management team moved promptly to address.
Concerns (4)
moderateIncident learning: “In May 2023, an allegation of abuse had not been communicated to the Care Quality Commission (CQC)... The registered manager formally notified us following this inspection.”
minorMedication management: “Medication administration records we looked at listed the contents of people's medication blister pack as 1 item. This is not robust in the event a person declines 1 of the medicines in the blister pack.”
minorGovernance: “Staff meetings were taking place monthly. Records of these meetings listed the themes being discussed, but there was detail missing around what was said and feedback from staff was not captured.”
minorConsent / capacity: “One person was recorded as having capacity, although a best interests decision had subsequently been completed for them. The registered manager had already identified a development need.”
Strengths
· People supported by small, consistent staff teams who were punctual and well-matched to individuals
· Registered manager went above and beyond, including personally transporting people to health appointments
· Detailed, personalised care plans co-produced with people and relatives, accessible via an electronic app
· Strong community partnerships including Alzheimer's UK dementia cafes and a hospital admission pilot scheme
· Positive feedback from people and relatives consistently praising staff compassion, reliability and professionalism