Firstlings

Updated 10 September 2020

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place. As part of CQC's response to the coronavirus pandemic we are conducting a thematic review of infection control and prevention measures in care services.

This inspection took place on 27 August 2020 and was announced. The service was invited to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

Updated 10 September 2020

About the service

Firstlings provides accommodation and personal care for up to 32 older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, 29 people were living at the service. The building had been adapted and was set on three floors with a large accessible garden.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received an outstanding service from Firstlings which was exceptionally person centred, individual and focussed on the outcomes for people. People were fully involved in their assessment of need and in their planning, delivery and end of life care. The service was enthusiastic and skilled in the way it responded to people’s needs, wishes and preferences.

Staff were wonderfully caring, kind and compassionate. They created a homely and warm environment where people could be themselves. People’s independence was actively promoted and encouraged and staff went the extra mile to ensure people had autonomy, self worth, dignity and respect.

Staff had an excellent understanding of people's needs and were imaginative in the way they provided person centred care which placed people at the heart of the service. They continued to find creative ways of supporting people to have an exceptional quality of life. People’s well-being and social life was enriched by a range of group and individualised opportunities and activities, within the home and the local community.

Everyone was immensely positive about the way the service was led and managed. The registered manager was an outstanding visible role model, led by example and maintained high values and standards. Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities and all, regardless of their role, worked as a strong team. There were a variety of checks in place to monitor the quality of the service and drive improvements.

People and their relatives felt safe. Staff knew how to recognise abuse and to report any concerns. Risk assessments were in place to manage potential risks within people's lives, whilst also promoting their independence. People’s medicines were managed safely. Incidents and accidents were investigated, and actions taken to prevent recurrence. Effective infection control processes were in place.

There were enough staff available to ensure people's security, safety and wellbeing. Recruitment processes were robust to ensure prospective new staff had the right skills and were suitable to work with people living in a care setting. Staff received an induction, on-going training, supervision and observations of their practice to ensure they continued to have the skills and knowledge to be competent in their role, and support people safely and effectively.

People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and people enjoyed the meals provided. The service worked well with other health care professionals and referrals were made in a timely way to ensure people’s health needs were met.

People 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 supports this practice. Where people had been deprived of their liberty, appropriate referrals had been made to the local authority.

People and relatives were encouraged to be involved in the running of the service. People knew how to raise a complaint and felt confident any issues would be addressed. Where there had been incidents or complaints, these had been responded to appropriately and the provider had systems to monitor and learn from these.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 28 December 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection, based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor the service and will return to carry out an inspection in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

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