First Call Healthcare Limited

Updated 13 April 2019

The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector and an Expert-by-Experience. An Expert-by-Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type: This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. Not everyone using First Call Healthcare Limited receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by children and young people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. For people the provider helps with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating, we also consider any wider social care provided.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission at the time of inspection. The manager and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.’

Notice of inspection: We gave the service 24 hours' notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure that the manager would be in the office.

Inspection activity started on 30 January 2019 with a visit to the office location by the inspector. We made telephone calls to people, staff and relatives on 31 January, 1 February and 7March 2019.

What we did: Before the inspection the provider sent us a Provider Information Return. Providers are required to send us information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We reviewed information we held about the service and events which the provider is required to tell us about by law. We contacted commissioners to seek their feedback. We received no information of concern. During the site visit we spoke with the registered manager. We reviewed a range of records. These included six people’s care records. We also looked at three staff files to check staff recruitment and their training records. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service. After the site visit we contacted seven people and seven relatives of people who use the service and four support workers.

Updated 13 April 2019

About the service: First Call Healthcare Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to younger and older adults including people who live with dementia or learning disabilities. At the time of inspection 43 people were using the service.

People’s experience of using this service: People said they felt safe with the service provided. They trusted the workers who supported them. There were sufficient staff hours available to meet people's needs in a safe and consistent way, and staff roles were flexible to allow this.

Staff had received training about safeguarding and knew how to respond to any allegation of abuse. There were other opportunities for staff to receive training to meet people’s care needs.

Communication was effective and staff and people were listened to. Staff said they felt well-supported and were aware of their responsibility to share any concerns about the care provided.

All people were complimentary about the care provided. They said staff were kind, caring and supportive of people and their families. Privacy and dignity were respected and people’s independence was promoted.

The service assisted people, where required, in meeting their health care and nutritional needs. Staff worked together, and with other professionals, in co-ordinating people’s care.

Systems were in place for people to receive their medicines in a safe way. Risk assessments were in place and they identified current risks to the person as well as ways to keep them safe.

People were involved in decisions about their care. They were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Information was accessible to involve people in decision making about their lives.

People's views and concerns were listened to and action was taken to improve the service.

The provider undertook a range of audits to check on the quality of care provided.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated good (27 August 2016.)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection to check that this service remained good.

Follow up: We did not identify any concerns at this inspection. We will therefore re-inspect this service within the published timeframe for services rated good. We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.