Care home service told to improve after putting people ‘at risk of harm’

An inspection identified that “not all people had always received safe care and support”

A Cambridgeshire homecare service with concerns that had put people “at risk of potential harm”, has been rated as ‘requires improvement’. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) carried out an inspection at Regional Care Peterborough in Bakewell Road between March 9, 2026 to May 12, 2026.

Inspectors followed up on previous breaches of regulation in relation to governance and safe care. After the inspection, CQC inspectors said “improvements were not found” and the provider “remained in breach of these regulations”.

The inspection identified that “not all people had always received safe care and support”. It identified issues with medicines management, risk assessment and quality assurance.

While CQC inspectors found no evidence that anyone had come to harm, issues were identified that “had put some people at risk of potential harm”.

Murphy Cole, the owner and director for Regional Care said: “Regional Care Peterborough welcomes the publication of the latest CQC inspection report and is pleased to see the significant progress recognised since the previous inspection.

“Our last inspection identified five areas requiring improvement. Through the hard work and dedication of our management team and staff, this has now been reduced to three areas being rated as Good, demonstrating the substantial improvements made across the service.

“We are particularly pleased that the rapid response of our team in addressing issues was acknowledged and praised by both local authority partners and CQC inspectors.”

People’s care records reviewed were said to either not fully assess or clearly plan for how to mitigate risks. The assessment found there were “multiple areas” where key risk assessments or detailed guidance in people’s care plans were missing or incomplete, including for skin integrity risks and risks associated with people’s health conditions.

CQC claimed the provider had not always taken sufficient timely action to drive improvement in all areas of the service. Governance arrangements remained inconsistent and had not been fully effective in identifying or addressing ongoing risks.

As a result, the manager updated the governance systems but CQC recognised there had not been time for the new system to be embedded during the assessment.

The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to people being treated with dignity and responding to complaints. Improvements were found at this assessment, and the provider was no longer in breach of these regulations.

Mr Cole added: “While we are encouraged by the positive progress reflected in this report, we fully recognise that there are still areas where further improvements are required.

“The safety, wellbeing and quality of care provided to our clients remains our absolute priority, and we are committed to continuous improvement in every aspect of our service.”

The report said: “People and relatives told us they felt safe with staff. People and relatives said they were involved in developing care plans and that staff responded when people’s needs changed, including contacting GPs or district nurses when required.”

People said they are “very pleased with the carers” and they “are generally on time”. Another told CQC they “always [treat them] with dignity and respect”, however, they have “to tell them every time what to do”.

Overall, the home service was rated as ‘requires improvement’ in the safe and well-led categories. Other categories were rated as ‘good’.

Regional Care offers services and specialises in personal care, caring for adults over 65 and under 65, dementia, learning disabilities, mental health conditions and physical disabilities.

The spokesperson added: “Since the inspection, we have continued to work closely with local authorities and other partner agencies to strengthen our service. A comprehensive three-month service improvement programme is already underway, and we have proactively invited the CQC to revisit the service to review the progress being made.

“It is important to note that we raised concerns regarding the way in which the inspection was conducted. We also raised concerns that vital information submitted during the inspection process had been lost by the CQC.

“As a result, a formal complaint has been submitted, and we are currently awaiting their response. While this process is ongoing, we remain focused on delivering high-quality care and working constructively with all regulatory and partner organisations.

“We are proud of the progress our staff have achieved and thank them for their continued professionalism, dedication and commitment to improving outcomes for the people we support.

“We will continue to build on this progress and remain committed to providing safe, compassionate and person-centred care.”