Quality & Compliance
How we keep care safe, effective and consistent
Quality in home care comes from the same things repeated well — recruitment, training, clear plans, honest reviews and open communication. Here is how that works at Horizons.
Our regulatory status
How Horizons Homecare sits within the CQC regulatory framework, and what that means for families choosing our services.
Registration Status
Horizons Homecare is a registered provider with the Care Quality Commission. Both our Blackpool and Lancaster branches are fully registered and operating under active CQC oversight.
Current Rating
We are working towards our first full CQC inspection rating. Our services are registered and compliant. Our goal is to achieve two Outstanding ratings across our five assessment domains — Safe, Effective, Caring, Well-led, and Responsive — which would support an overall Outstanding judgement.
What this means for you
Registration with the CQC means our services meet the fundamental standards of care required by law. We actively prepare for inspection by maintaining detailed care records, conducting regular quality audits, and investing in staff training. Families can be confident that our services are monitored and accountable.
The five CQC standards
CQC inspects every home care service against five key questions. Here is how Horizons answers each.
Safe
Carers are DBS-checked, trained in safeguarding and medication, and work to documented risk assessments. Incidents are recorded and reviewed.
Effective
Care plans are built from a full in-home assessment and updated at 7 days, 1 month, 3 months and every 6 months so support stays right for life as it changes.
Caring
Small, consistent teams mean carers genuinely know the person they're supporting — and have the time each visit to do things properly.
Responsive
We listen. Preferences, routines and feedback from clients and families shape the rota, the care plan and who shows up at the door.
Well-led
Registered managers in Blackpool and Lancaster lead supervision, audits and continuous improvement, supported by our co-founders day to day.
Our quality process
A simple, repeatable rhythm — so nothing gets lost between “care starts” and care actually feeling right.
Care plan
A free in-home assessment builds a written plan covering routines, preferences, health needs and goals.
Supervised delivery
Carers deliver against that plan with spot-checks, supervisions and competency reviews by the registered manager.
Scheduled reviews
Formal review points at 7 days, 1 month, 3 months, then every 6 months — plus any time things change.
Family feedback
Family portal updates, regular check-ins and a clear complaints route keep communication open both ways.
Training & accreditation
Every carer completes our induction and core training before visiting a single client, then keeps refreshing that knowledge throughout the year.
Training is delivered in-house by our training officer and supplemented by specialist courses for carers supporting clients with dementia, stroke recovery, end-of-life needs or complex medication regimes.
- Care Certificate (all 15 standards)
- Safeguarding adults (Level 2)
- Medication administration & competency
- Moving & handling people
- Infection prevention & control
- Dementia awareness & communication
- Mental Capacity Act & DoLS awareness
- First aid & emergency response
- End-of-life care principles
- Equality, diversity & inclusion
- Monthly CPD TrainingAll our carers attend Continuing Professional Development sessions held monthly at our local branches in Blackpool and Lancaster. Topics cover clinical updates, safeguarding, dementia care, and service excellence.
- Client-Specific TrainingWhere a client has complex or specialist requirements — such as PEG feeding, catheter care, or specific neurological conditions — we arrange dedicated training for their assigned care team before the first visit.
If something is ever wrong — tell us
We take every concern seriously. The fastest route is a phone call or email to your coordinator or to the registered manager for your branch. We acknowledge concerns within one working day and tell you what will happen next.
If you'd rather raise a concern externally, you can contact the Care Quality Commission directly at any time — it will not affect the care you receive.
Want to discuss care quality with us?
Ask anything — how we recruit, how we train, how reviews work, how we respond if things change. We're happy to explain any of it.