The Halewood Centre

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates the personal care and support that people may receive. 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.

An assessment has been undertaken of a specialist service that is registered for use by autistic people or people with a learning disability. At the time of the assessment, the service was not used by anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.

People told us they felt safe, respected and supported by staff who treated them with dignity and kindness. Feedback from people and relatives was consistently positive, highlighting staff professionalism, reassurance, and a strong focus on promoting independence. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of reablement principles, and care planning showed a person‑centred, goal‑focused approach. Where reablement was not appropriate or a person’s need were ongoing, this decision not to provide the service was clearly evidenced and managed appropriately.

The provider had clear leadership with defined roles and responsibilities. Daily multidisciplinary huddles supported effective communication, timely reviews and reduced the risk of people remaining in the service longer than necessary. Leaders were visible and approachable, and staff spoke positively about the culture, supervision and support available to them.

Governance systems were in place, with the service in the advanced stages of implementing a new electronic care record system. This was to strengthen oversight of care records, audits, incidents, safeguarding and training. Incidents and accidents were clearly recorded. Safeguarding concerns were raised appropriately.

Safe recruitment practices were followed, and appropriate pre‑employment checks were completed. Overall, the service demonstrated strong person‑centred and reablement‑focused practice, which was underpinned by a committed workforce and a positive caring culture, with further work needed to strengthen training assurance and embed learning from incidents consistently.