At a Care Quality Commission inspection at Northamptonshire Domiciliary Care in July 2025, Mencap was found to be inadequate in 3 of 5 areas and as a result received an inadequate rating overall.
Chris Chalkley, Executive Director of Personal Support England at Mencap said:
“We sincerely apologise to the people who live in these services and their families. The standard of care described in this report falls short of what anyone should expect – and what we expect of ourselves.
“It is not reflective of the quality of care across our
organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together.
, where 92% of our services are rated Good or Outstanding by the same regulator. That’s why we take every observation in this inspection very seriously. We immediately fixed every urgent concern raised and we are confident that we have significantly improved the care at these services.
Our internal investigation has looked in detail at the root causes of what went wrong and we will continue to identify ways we can do better and learn from mistakes. Our focus is on making sure everyone we support is safe, well and happy. We are working closely with families, staff and the regulator to rebuild trust and make sure every single person we support receives the same high-quality care they deserve.”
For further information, please contact Mencap’s media team on: [email protected] or 02076 965414 (including out of hours).
Note to editors
About Mencap
Mencap exists to ensure the UK is the best place in the world for people with a
learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
to live happy and healthy lives. We support people directly and
campaign
A campaign is when people work together to try to change something.
with people with a learning disability, their families and carers. We work to change laws, increase representation and campaign for better health,
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
and
employment
Employment means having a job.
opportunities for the 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK.
What is a learning disability?
- A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which affects someone for their whole life. Typically, people with a learning disability need more time to learn and process information. They may need extra support to develop skills, complete tasks and interact with others, or they may have more complex needs requiring round-the clock care. The level of support needed is different for everyone and may change during a person’s lifetime.
- Learning disability is NOT a mental illness or a learning difficulty. Often, the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used in place of ‘learning disability’. Having a learning difficulty (such as ADHD or
dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty. People who have dyslexia can find it hard to read, write and spell.
) may mean a person learns at a different pace or in a different way BUT – unlike a learning disability - it does not affect a person’s intellect. With the right support, most people with a learning disability can lead happy, healthy, independent lives. At Mencap, it’s our mission to remove societal barriers and shatter misconceptions to make this more possible for more people.
Mencap’s guide to reporting on Learning Disability
When it comes to creating content with people with a learning disability, we know many people feel nervous about saying and doing the wrong thing. Our guide for journalists, covers everything from up-to-date facts and figures to the right language to use. It also includes tips on how to work with people with a learning disability to gather the best content.
