Apollo Care (West Wirral)

“About the service Apollo Care West Wirral is a care at home agency supporting people with personal care in their own homes. 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. At the time of our inspection 20 people were receiving support. Who the service is for This service is registered to support older adults, younger adults, people with dementia, physical and sensory disabilities and mental health conditions.”

“Our view of the service We carried out this assessment remotely between 15 – 20 October 2026. We did not visit the office location. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice. People received care from staff who appeared to know them well and understood their individual preferences, routines, strengths and support needs. Care records reviewed were detailed, personalised and regularly reviewed. They contained clear guidance for staff regarding how people wished to receive support, how risks should be managed and how independence could be promoted. Records demonstrated a strong emphasis on choice, dignity and respecting people's wishes. Care planning considered people's health needs, communication needs, mobility, nutrition, personal care and environmental risks. People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. We found that staff and management worked within the principles of the MCA. There was no one subject to DoLS at the time of our inspection. Risk management was robust. Risk assessments identified potential hazards and provided staff with clear measures to reduce risks whilst enabling people to remain as independent as possible. The care records reviewed demonstrated appropriate consideration of falls risks, mobility, nutrition, infection prevention and maintaining safe home environments. The provider demonstrated good oversight of accidents, incidents and health and safety concerns. Accidents and incidents were recorded appropriately, with evidence of investigation, follow-up action and learning. Records demonstrated staff responded appropriately, sought medical advice when required and involved families and healthcare professionals. Where patterns emerged, management reviewed risks and considered additional measures to reduce future occurrences. Medication incidents were infrequent and where errors occurred there was evidence of investigation, reflection, additional supervision and training to reduce the likelihood of recurrence. Governance systems were well established. Regular audits were undertaken covering areas such as medicines management, care planning, recruitment, incidents and accidents. Management completed trend analysis and used information gathered through audits and reviews to identify themes and opportunities for improvement. Incident analysis demonstrated evidence of reflective practice and learning being shared with staff through meetings, supervision and ongoing support. The service also maintained a range of comprehensive policies and procedures that supported safe working practices and regulatory compliance. These included safeguarding, whistleblowing,…”