Northampton care provider rated outstanding by watchdog 'genuinely makes a difference to people's lives'

Home Instead, based at Moulton Park, provides personal care to people in their own homes. The service was subject to an unannounced inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in May this year, as part of routine monitoring.

In a report published on Thursday July 9, Home Instead was given an overall rating of outstanding, after being rated outstanding in the caring and well-led categories and good in the safe, effective and responsive categories. The service has retained its top rating, as it was also rated outstanding in 2018.

Sandra Morison, registered care manager, said: “Supporting older people in the community is a responsibility we don’t take lightly. Over the years, we’ve seen the difference it makes to receive care from someone you have bonded with, and that’s why we place such a focus on relationship-led care.''

“As we get older, we all deserve to maintain independence and those community connections we enjoy, and that’s why it plays an important role in our care plans. We’re delighted to be recognised for all of this and many more things in our CQC outstanding report.”

Greg Rielly, CQC’s deputy director of adult social care in the East Midlands, added: “Throughout our inspection, we found Home Instead was consistently delivering care that genuinely made a difference to people’s lives.

"People were overwhelmingly positive about the service, while relatives told us the support meant they could focus on being a family member again, rather than a carer. One described how staff were like family to their loved one, supporting the whole household, not just the person receiving care.

“What stood out was how staff took the time to build strong relationships with the people they supported. Small, familiar teams of three or four staff supported people and got to know them deeply, delivering care that felt truly personal. Staff visited people in hospital, stayed with them when they were admitted by ambulance, and went above and beyond to support them.

“Leaders and staff at Home Instead should be proud of the care they deliver and the difference it’s making to people’s lives.”

Inspectors also highlighted a few areas in which the service excels, including leaders running in-person quality assurance visits during care calls, staff helping people manage their medicines safely, including working with GPs to change prescriptions and staff supporting people with a wide range of needs in a personalised way, including arranging additional weekend visits to prepare home-cooked food in batches.

Sandra continued: “I want to express my heartfelt thanks to our care professionals and our office team, whose dedication and hard work have helped us achieve this accolade. Their compassion, commitment, and ability to build genuine relationships truly define the standard of care at Home Instead. I couldn’t be prouder to see our team approach their work with such enthusiasm and sincerity.

"This achievement would not have been possible without the trust and support of our clients and their families"

The CQC added that the service acted as a hub for information and support to help people access wider resources and that staff worked proactively with health and social care professionals to coordinate care.