Northampton homecare service put in special measures
Vogue Future Living Limited provides supported living for autistic people and those with learning disabilities
A Northampton homecare service has been rated ‘inadequate’ and placed in special measures after inspectors found serious failings in care and safety.
Vogue Future Living Limited, which provides supported living for autistic people and those with learning disabilities, was downgraded by the Care Quality Commission following an inspection between July and September. The CQC acted after receiving concerns about the service and judged it against strict standards around dignity, choice, independence and safety.
Inspectors found that care had deteriorated, with the service now breaching five regulations—including safe care and treatment, consent, safeguarding, management, and recruitment of suitable staff. Vogue Future Living was rated inadequate for safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership, and dropped to ‘requires improvement’ for caring.
The CQC says staff hadn’t properly assessed people’s needs, leading to delays and putting people at risk of harm. Some staff were supporting vulnerable adults without proper training or guidance, including for health conditions such as epilepsy. In one case, support for someone with swallowing difficulties hadn’t been referred to a specialist, increasing the risk to their health.
There were also issues around care planning and communication, with leaders failing to make care plans accessible or to involve people in decisions about their support. Inspectors found leaders didn’t listen to safety concerns or investigate incidents, meaning lessons weren’t learned and problems persisted. Some staff reported low morale and felt unfairly treated by managers.
Despite the criticism, people said they liked their homes, which were decorated with family photos and personal belongings.
The service will now be closely monitored while urgent improvements are made. If Vogue Future Living doesn’t meet the required standards within a set timeframe, further enforcement action could follow.
The organisation has the right to appeal the findings.
We've reached out to Vogue Future Living Limited for a comment.