Information about our domiciliary care and supported living services.

Key facts

This page gives you the most important information. The full details are later in this guide.

• Contact us: our address, phone numbers and email are in section 16.
• Make a complaint: you can tell us in any way you like. You will not be treated badly for it. See section 13.
• Feel unsafe or worried: tell any member of staff or our Safeguarding Lead. You can also contact your local authority or the police. See section 12.
• Costs: we tell you in writing what you will pay before your care starts. See section 10.
• Emergency: call 999.
• Need this guide in another format: ask us. It is free. We can give you an Easy Read version with pictures.

Can you read this guide? If this guide is hard for you to read or understand, please tell us. We will give it to you in a way that works for you. This is free and you can ask at any time. You can ask for: Large print. Easy read with pictures. Braille. Audio. Coloured paper. Email. Text message. A different language. A British Sign Language video. Someone to read it to you. Just call us, email us, or tell any member of staff. Our contact details are at the back of this guide.

1. About this guide

This guide tells you about and the care and support we provide. It explains what you can expect from us, what we expect from you, and what to do if something goes wrong.

We give this guide to everyone before their care starts. You can keep it. You can share it with your family, your friends, or anyone who helps you make decisions.

We wrote this guide in plain English. We have tried to keep the sentences short. If anything is unclear, please ask us and we will explain it.

We check this guide every year to make sure it is still correct. If something important changes, we will tell you and give you a new copy.

1.1 The law behind this guide

Two pieces of law matter here.

• The Equality Act 2010 says we must not treat you worse because of a disability. It also says we must make reasonable adjustments so you are not at a disadvantage. Giving you information in a format you can use is a reasonable adjustment.
• The Accessible Information Standard says that if you have a disability, impairment or sensory loss, we must find out what you need, record it, flag it, share it, meet it and review it. NHS England updated the standard in 2025. We follow it.

This guide is one of the ways we meet both.

Other laws and rules also shape this guide. They are the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, including the regulations on person-centred care, dignity and respect, consent, good governance, complaints and the duty of candour. They also include the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Care Act 2014, the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Who we are

provides care and support to adults aged 18 and over. We support older people, people with a learning disability, autistic people, people with mental health needs, and people with a physical or sensory disability. We are registered with the Care Quality Commission, known as the CQC. The CQC is the organisation that inspects care services in England and checks they are safe.

Our Registered Manager is . The Registered Manager is the person legally responsible for the day to day running of the service. You can ask to speak to them at any time.

Who they are	What they do
Registered Manager	Responsible for the whole service. Makes sure your care is safe and good quality. Deals with serious concerns and complaints.
Safeguarding Lead	The person to speak to if you feel unsafe, or if someone is hurting you, frightening you, or taking your money.
Data Protection Officer	Looks after your personal information and makes sure we keep it safe and private.
Health and Safety Officer	Makes sure the way we work is safe for you and for our staff, including equipment and your home environment.
Duty Manager	The manager on duty each day. Sorts out problems with visits, staffing and rotas while they are happening.
Care and support workers	The people who come to you. They deliver the care and support written in your plan.

3. What we do

We provide two kinds of service. They are different. The section that applies to you is the one that matches the service you receive. If you are not sure which one you get, ask us.

3.1 Domiciliary care

Domiciliary care means we come to your home to help you. Your home is your own. We are visitors in it. We come at agreed times and stay for an agreed length of time. Then we leave.

This is sometimes called home care or care at home.

3.2 Supported living

Supported living means you have your own tenancy or licence for where you live. The home is yours. We provide the support, but we do not provide the housing. They are two separate things, with two separate agreements.

Support may be for a few hours a week, or it may be there day and night. It depends on what you need and what has been agreed.

Because your home is yours, you decide who comes in. You can ask us to leave a room. You can lock your door. Having support does not mean giving up control of your home.

What we do not provide

We only provide the care and support set out in your agreement and your care and support plan. We do not provide housing in supported living. We are not an emergency service. We cannot provide any service that is outside the activities we are registered with the CQC to carry out. Our Statement of Purpose lists what we do and do not offer.

If you need something we cannot provide, we will tell you honestly. We will help you find someone who can.

4. What we believe

These are our values. They are not just words. If we are not doing these things, please tell us.

• It is your life. You decide. We support your choices, even when we would choose differently.
• We treat you with dignity and respect at all times.
• We knock. We ask. We do not assume.
• We tell you the truth, including when we get something wrong.
• We support your independence. We do not do things for you that you can do yourself.
• We keep your private life private.
• We treat everyone fairly, whatever their background, and we do not judge.

5. Making sure information works for you

Some people cannot read standard print. Some people find long words hard. Some people are Deaf and use British Sign Language. Some people are blind. Some people need more time. Some people need someone with them.

None of that is a problem for us. It is our job to work out what you need and then do it. Here is how we do that.

5.1 We ask

When we first meet you, we ask you how you like to get information and how you like to communicate. We ask before your care starts, not after. We ask you directly. If you cannot tell us, we ask the people who know you best.

We ask again at every review, and any time your needs change.

5.2 We record

We write down what you tell us in your care record. We write down the format you need, the reason you need it, and any support you need to communicate. We do not write “has communication difficulties” and leave it there. We write what actually helps.

5.3 We flag

We put a clear alert on your record so that every member of staff sees your needs before they contact you or visit you. It is highly visible. Nobody has to go looking for it.

5.4 We share

With your permission, we tell other services about your needs when we refer you or work alongside them. This means you do not have to explain yourself over and over again to every new person.

5.5 We act

We give you the information in the format you need, every time. Not just the first time. Not just when it is convenient. If we send you a letter and you told us you need large print, that letter arrives in large print.

If we get this wrong, tell us. It is a failure on our part, not yours.

5.6 What we can provide

What you can ask for	What this means
Large print	We print in a bigger font. Tell us what size works for you. We can go up to 24 point or larger.
Easy read	Short sentences with pictures to explain the meaning. Useful if reading is hard or if you have a learning disability.
Braille	We arrange braille through a specialist supplier.
Audio	A recording you can listen to, on CD, as a file, or sent to your phone.
Coloured paper or coloured overlays	Helpful for some people with dyslexia or visual stress. Tell us which colour suits you.
Plain English	The same information with the jargon taken out.
Another language	We arrange translation of written information.
An interpreter	A qualified interpreter for spoken languages, in person or by phone or video.
British Sign Language	A BSL interpreter, or a signed video. We book qualified interpreters. We do not rely on your family to interpret.
Email or text message	If that is easier for you than post, we will use it.
A phone call instead of a letter	If reading is difficult, we can tell you instead, and then confirm in your chosen format.
Someone to support you	A family member, a friend, or an advocate. We can help you find an advocate.
More time	Time to take things in and to answer. We will not rush you.
Communication aids	We will work with the tools you already use, such as a communication book, a board, symbols, an app, or a device.

If you need something that is not on this list, ask anyway. The list is not the limit.

5.7 We do not charge you for this

Alternative formats and interpreters are free. You will never be asked to pay for them and you will never be asked to bring your own interpreter.

6. Tell us what you need

You can tell us at any time. You do not have to wait to be asked. You do not need a reason. You do not need a diagnosis.

You can tell us by phone, by email, in writing, or by telling any member of staff who visits you. You can ask someone else to tell us for you.

There is a form at the back of this guide you can use if you prefer. You can also just talk to us.

We will confirm back to you what we have recorded, so you can check we have understood it correctly.

7. Starting with us

1. We meet you and talk about what you need and what you want. We come to you.
2. We carry out an assessment with you before we agree to provide a service. We look at what you need, what you want, and any risks. We then check that we have staff with the right skills and enough time to support you well. If we cannot meet your needs, we will tell you honestly and explain why. We will help you find other support. We will not start a service we cannot deliver safely.
3. We ask about your communication and information needs at this first meeting, before anything else is agreed.
4. We write a care and support plan with you. It says what we will do, when, and how you want it done.
5. We agree the plan with you and ask for your consent before we start. You can change your mind and withdraw consent at any time. You get a copy in your chosen format. The plan is not final until you have seen it and agreed it.
6. We give you a written agreement setting out the service and any charges.
7. Your agreement sets out the contract terms. It covers the service we will provide, the charges, how much notice either of us must give to cancel or end the service, how prices can change, and how to complain. We go through it with you before you sign. You get a copy in your chosen format. In supported living, your tenancy or licence is a separate agreement.
8. We introduce the staff who will support you before they start, wherever we can.
9. We check in with you in the first few weeks to see how it is going.
10. We review your plan with you at least once a year, and sooner if things change.
11. We ask for your views on the service regularly, for example at reviews, by phone calls and through surveys. Our managers check the quality of care. We use what you tell us to improve the service.

8. Your care and support

8.1 If you receive domiciliary care

• We agree the days and times of your visits with you, and we write them down.
• We tell you who is coming. If it has to change, we tell you as soon as we know.
• Our staff carry photo identification. Always ask to see it. Do not let anyone in who cannot show it.
• Staff will knock and wait. If you have a key safe, we only use it with your written agreement, and we keep the code secure.
• If a visit is going to be late by more than 30 minutes, we will contact you.
• We monitor every visit to check it happens on time. We record when staff arrive and leave. If a visit has not started when it should have, the Duty Manager will find out why, contact you and send another worker where needed. If we miss a visit, we will tell you, say sorry and put it right. We check visit times regularly so we can spot and fix lateness.
• If we cannot get in and we are worried about you, we will follow the plan we agreed with you. That may include contacting the person you named as an emergency contact.
• If you want to cancel a visit, please tell us as early as you can. The notice period is in your agreement.
• We record what we did at each visit. You can see those records at any time.

8.2 If you receive supported living

• Your tenancy or licence is a separate agreement from your support. If you have a problem with the building, that is your landlord. If you have a problem with your support, that is us.
• You can change your support without losing your home. Your home does not depend on you keeping us.
• Staff may be on site during the day, at night, or on a sleep in shift. Your plan says which.
• You decide who comes into your home and who does not, including visitors, and including us where it is safe to do so.
• We support you to be part of your community, to work, to study, to see people, and to do the things you enjoy.
• We support you to manage your money, your bills and your tenancy if that is in your plan. Your money stays your money.
• If you share your home with other people, we will help sort out any disagreements fairly.
• We will not restrict what you do unless there is a clear, lawful and recorded reason. If we ever have to, we will use the least restrictive option, we will explain why, and we will review it.

8.3 Decisions and mental capacity

We start from the position that you can make your own decisions. That is what the law says. A decision that other people think is unwise is still your decision to make.

If there is a real reason to think you cannot make a particular decision at a particular time, we will assess that decision only, not your whole life. We will help you as much as we can to make it yourself first.

If you genuinely cannot make a decision, anything decided for you must be in your best interests, and you must still be involved as much as possible. We will talk to the people close to you. If there is nobody suitable, we will ask the local authority or the NHS to arrange an independent advocate for you where the law gives you that right. We will also help you find other advocacy support.

9. Your rights

• To be treated with dignity and respect.
• To privacy in your own home.
• To be given information you can understand, in a format that works for you.
• To make your own choices, including choices we might not agree with.
• To say no. You can refuse any part of your care.
• To be safe from harm, abuse and neglect.
• To be free from discrimination on any grounds.
• To have your religion, culture, relationships and identity respected.
• To see the records we hold about you.
• To complain without being treated badly for it.
• To have someone speak up for you, including an independent advocate.
• To be told the truth when something goes wrong. This is called the duty of candour and it is a legal duty on us.
• To end the service and go elsewhere.

10. Money and charges

Before your care starts, we tell you in writing what it costs, what is included, and what is not. We will go through it with you and answer your questions.

• You will get an invoice or statement setting out what you have been charged and why.
• Your written agreement explains how we work out your charges. For example, whether we charge by the hour or by the visit, any difference for evenings, weekends or bank holidays, and what happens if a visit is cancelled.
• If the local authority or the NHS pays for your care, we tell you what that covers and whether you pay anything.
• If our prices change, we tell you in writing before the change happens. Your agreement says how much notice you get.
• Our staff do not accept gifts, loans, or money from you. Please do not offer. It is not because we are ungrateful. It is to protect you.
• If we help with your shopping or your money, we record every transaction and keep the receipts. You can check them at any time.

11. Your information

We keep records about you because we have to. The law requires it and good care depends on it.

• We only collect what we need.
• We keep it secure.
• We only share it with people who need it to support you, or where the law says we must.
• You can ask to see what we hold. We will normally respond within one month, and we will give it to you in your chosen format.
• You can ask us to correct anything that is wrong.
• We keep records for as long as the law requires and then destroy them securely.

Our Data Protection Officer is . If you have a question or a worry about your information, contact them.

There are times when we may share information without your agreement. That is when someone is at risk of serious harm, or when a court orders it. If we ever do that, we will tell you unless telling you would put someone in danger.

12. Keeping you safe

Safeguarding means protecting you from abuse and neglect. Abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, financial, or it can be neglect. It can be done by anyone, including family, including neighbours, and including our own staff.

If you feel unsafe, or if something does not feel right, tell us. You will be listened to and you will be taken seriously.

Our Safeguarding Lead is . You can also contact your local authority safeguarding team or the police. You do not have to go through us first.

Our Health and Safety Officer is . They make sure that equipment is safe, that risks in your home are managed sensibly, and that the way we work does not put you in danger.

12.1 Our staff

• We check every member of staff before they start. That includes an enhanced DBS check and references.
• They are trained before they support you, and their training is kept up to date.
• They carry photo identification and they will show it every time.
• We check their work through spot checks and supervision.
• If a member of staff behaves badly, we act. We will tell you what we have done, as far as we are allowed to.

12.2 Medicines

If your plan says we support you with medicines, only trained staff will do it. We record every dose. We do not change your medicines. Only your doctor does that. If we make a mistake with your medicines, we will tell you, we will get medical advice straight away, and we will explain what we are doing about it.

12.3 Emergencies

In an emergency our staff will call 999 first and then tell us. They are trained to do this. They will stay with you until help arrives, unless it is unsafe to do so. We will contact the person you have named as your emergency contact.

13. If you are not happy

Please tell us. We would much rather know. A complaint is not a nuisance and it will not affect your care. It is how we find out what is going wrong.

13.1 How to complain

• Talk to the member of staff or the Duty Manager first if you feel able to. Many things get fixed the same day.
• If that does not work, or you would rather not, contact the Registered Manager, .
• You can complain in any way that suits you. By phone. By email. In a letter. In person. Through someone else. You do not have to put it in writing.
• We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days.
• We will look into it properly and reply, normally within 28 days. If it will take longer, we will tell you why and keep you updated.
• We will tell you what we found, what we are doing about it, and what has changed as a result.
• We will communicate with you throughout in your chosen format.

13.2 If you are still not happy

• If the local authority arranged and pays for your care, you can complain to them. If you are still not happy after that, you can go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
• If you pay for your own care, you can go to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Their service is free and independent.
• You can tell the CQC about your experience at any time. The CQC does not investigate individual complaints, but they use what you tell them when they decide what to inspect.
• You can ask an advocate to help you. We can give you their details.

14. Ending the service

You can end the service. It is your choice. Your agreement says how much notice we ask for, but talk to us and we will help you plan the move so there is no gap in your care.

We would only end your service in limited situations, for example if we could not keep you or our staff safe, or if the service you need is beyond what we are able to provide. If that ever happened, we would tell you in writing, explain why, give you the notice in your agreement, and work with the local authority to make sure something else is in place. We would not simply stop.

15. Useful contacts

Who	What they do and how to reach them
	Your first point of contact for anything about your care. Contact details are in section 16.
Care Quality Commission (CQC)	The regulator for care services in England. Telephone 03000 616161. Website www.cqc.org.uk
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman	Independent and free. Looks at complaints about care when the provider has not put things right. Telephone 0300 061 0614. Website www.lgo.org.uk
Your local authority adult social care team	Arranges and funds care, and runs the safeguarding team. Ask us for the number in your area.
Age UK	Advice and support for older people. Telephone 0800 678 1602.
Mencap	Advice and support for people with a learning disability and their families. Telephone 0808 808 1111.
Mind	Mental health information and support. Telephone 0300 102 1234.
RNIB	Support for people who are blind or partially sighted, including accessible formats. Telephone 0303 123 9999.
RNID	Support for people who are deaf or have hearing loss. Website www.rnid.org.uk
Carers UK	Advice and support for unpaid carers. Telephone 0808 808 7777.
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)	If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal information. Telephone 0303 123 1113.
Emergency services	Call 999 if someone is in danger or seriously unwell. Call 101 for the police when it is not an emergency.

16. How to contact us

Our name
Address
Telephone
Out of hours telephone
Email
Website
Registered Manager
Office opening hours

If you need to contact us in a way not listed here, tell us and we will make it work.

17. Tell us how you want your information

You can fill this in, or you can ask a member of staff to fill it in with you. You can change your mind at any time and we will update it.

Your name
How would you like us to send you written information? For example large print, easy read, braille, audio, email, text, another language
If large print, what size do you need?
Do you need a particular paper colour or font?
How would you like us to contact you? For example phone, text, email, letter, in person
Do you use British Sign Language or need an interpreter? If yes, which language?
Do you use any communication aids, apps or devices we should know about?
Do you need extra time, or support from another person, when we talk with you?
Is there anyone you want us to share information with? Give their name and relationship
Is there anything you do not want shared, or anyone you do not want us to speak to?
Anything else that would help us communicate with you?
Signed (you or the person supporting you)
Date
Recorded on your care record by (staff name and date)

Thank you. We will confirm back to you what we have recorded.

Remember You can ask for this guide in a different format at any time. It is free. Just ask. Speak to any member of staff, or contact using the details in section 16.