CQC Takes Action to Protect People Supported by FiNN Homecare

The Care Quality Commission has taken enforcement action against a home care provider in Oxfordshire following serious concerns about safety, leadership, and quality of care.

FiNN Homecare – Head Office, based in Wantage, has been rated ‘Inadequate’ and placed into special measures after inspectors identified multiple breaches of regulation.

Multiple Breaches Across Core Areas of Care

The inspection, carried out in December and January, found six breaches of regulation, including failures in:

• Person-centred care
• Consent
• Staffing
• Safe care and treatment
• Recruitment practices
• Governance and leadership

As a result, ratings declined significantly:

• Safe and Effective: Good → Inadequate
• Well-led: Requires Improvement → Inadequate
• Caring and Responsive: Good → Requires Improvement

The service was supporting around 30 people in their own homes at the time of inspection.

Concerns Around Staff Training and Competence

A key concern identified by inspectors was the lack of appropriate training and support for staff.

CQC found that:

• Some staff had not received training in critical areas such as diabetes care, catheter care, mental capacity, and first aid
• Staff were unable to clearly explain how they would support people with specific needs
• Care plans lacked sufficient detail to guide safe delivery of care

In some cases, this resulted in people not receiving the care they required.

Serious Risks to Safety and Care Delivery

Inspectors identified significant risks to people’s safety, including:

• Poorly maintained and incomplete care plans
• Failure to identify and communicate key risks (such as choking)
• Unsafe medicines management, with staff lacking appropriate training
• Lack of systems to monitor incidents and prevent recurrence

These failings created an environment where risks were not consistently recognised or managed.

Leadership and Oversight Failures

Leadership was a central theme throughout the inspection.

CQC found that:

• Leaders had not acted on previous external feedback highlighting the need for improvement
• There were no effective systems in place to monitor care quality
• Safeguarding concerns were not always escalated appropriately
• Recruitment processes did not ensure staff were suitable for their roles

This resulted in a lack of oversight and accountability across the service.

Regulatory Action and Special Measures

The service has now been placed into special measures, meaning:

• Increased monitoring by CQC
• A defined timeframe for improvement
• Potential further enforcement action if standards are not met

CQC has also begun the process of taking additional regulatory action, which the provider has the right to appeal.

Why This Matters

This inspection highlights a critical message across the sector: Without proper training, systems, and leadership, even basic care delivery can become unsafe.

For providers, it reinforces the importance of:

• Ensuring staff are fully trained and competent
• Maintaining accurate, detailed care plans
• Acting on feedback and identified risks immediately
• Embedding strong governance and oversight

The Bigger Picture

The Care Quality Commission is placing increasing emphasis on:

• Staff competence and training
• Accurate and up-to-date care planning
• Leadership accountability
• Learning from incidents and feedback

Services that fail to meet these standards are facing faster and more decisive regulatory intervention.

Looking Ahead

For FiNN Homecare, urgent and sustained improvements will be required to exit special measures.

For the wider sector, this inspection serves as a clear reminder:

High-quality care depends on the fundamentals — trained staff, clear systems, and leadership that takes action.

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