East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership’s Homecare service is thrilled to have been awarded ‘Grade 5 – Very Good’ quality gradings from the Scottish Care Inspectorate.
East Lothian’s Homecare service is a combined care at home and housing support service, delivering personal care and independent support to residents across East Lothian. It currently delivers 1,500 hours of care per week, supporting 300 individuals and their families. This equates to an increase of 11% in hours and 30% more individuals since the last inspection in September 2023.
The Care Inspectorate report provides an evaluation of the quality of service against two set assessment criteria; ‘how well does the organisation support people’s wellbeing?’ and ‘how good is the staff team?’. This year’s assessment promoted the Homecare service to grade 5s across both criteria, recognising the significant improvements made by the team to enhance client care and staffing support over the last two years.
The Care Inspectorate’s unannounced visit took place in August 2025 and involved numerous discussions with Homecare clients, their family members, as well as speaking to staff and observing daily practices.
The report recounted the assessors finding ‘significant strengths in aspects of the care provided and how these supported positive outcomes for people’. It continued, ‘People were clearly at ease with the staff supporting them, with positive relationships having been developed.
Additionally, assessors observed staff evidencing their skills in moving and handling people, which ‘was done with respect and dignity, while maintaining a calm and warm approach.’
On evaluation the staff team, the report highlighted that ‘people using the service and staff benefitted from a warm atmosphere because there were good working relationships.’ One client commented that their staff were "amazing and brilliant", while another person described their team of staff as "very helpful".
Councillor Shamin Akhtar, spokesperson for Health and Social Care commented, “This is an incredible achievement for East Lothian’s Homecare Service, achieving grade 5s takes a considerable amount of effort. The high praise reflected in the report from the care inspectorate, clients, family members and colleagues alike, is a testament to the dedication and commitment each member of the team plays in supporting individuals with daily activities in accordance with their assessed needs and agreed personal outcomes.
Fiona Wilson, Chief Officer at ELHSCP added, “I would personally like to thank and highly commend the Homecare staff for this glowing report. Given the strategic focus on delivering the Scottish Government’s ‘Home First’ strategy, and significant increases in demand given the ageing population of East Lothian, the service provided by the Homecare team is invaluable. Recent developments and expansion of this team is securing positive outcomes, enabling more people to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible, while providing reassurance and easing the pressure on family members.”
East Lothian Homecare’s full Care Inspectorate Report can be viewed at www.careinspectorate.com.