First Care Solutions Ltd

Updated 28 November 2018

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection site visit took place on 30 October 2018. The inspection was announced. We gave the service three days’ notice of the inspection because the registered manager is out of the office every day providing care to people and we needed to be sure that they would be available to speak with us.

This was a comprehensive inspection and was undertaken by one inspector.

This was the first inspection of time First Care Solutions Ltd since registering with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in December 2017.

Before our visit we reviewed the information, we held about the service. We looked to see if the service had sent us any statutory notifications and we contacted local authority commissioners. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. Commissioners are people who work to find appropriate care and support services for people and fund the care provided. They told they had some concerns about the way the service operated but at a recent quality monitoring visit found the service had ‘significantly’ improved. Findings during our inspection confirmed this.

During our site visit we spoke with the registered manager.

We looked at two people's care records and other records related to people’s care, including risk assessments, medicines and daily communication records. This was to see how people were cared for and supported and to assess whether people’s care delivery matched their records.

We reviewed two staff files to check staff were recruited safely and were trained to deliver the care and support people required. We looked at records of the checks the provider made to assure themselves people received a good quality service.

Following our site visit we contacted people by telephone and spoke with one person and two people’s relatives to obtain their views of the service they received. We also spoke with two care workers.

Updated 28 November 2018

This inspection took place on 30 October 2018. The inspection was announced.

First Care Solutions Ltd is registered to provide personal care support to people. At the time of our inspection the agency supported three people, two of whom were in receipt of support with personal care and employed two care workers. The service is located in Coventry in the West Midlands.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes, including, older people, younger adults and people with physical disabilities.

This was the first inspection of First Care Solutions Ltd since their registration with us in December 2017.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

People received their care calls at the times they expected and from care workers they knew. There were enough care workers to cover all planned calls and sufficient time was allocated to each call so care worker did not have to rush. The registered manager was devising a plan to ensure the service provided was not disrupted in the event of an emergency. A person and relatives spoke highly of care workers and were confident care workers had the knowledge and skills needed to meet their needs.

The provider’s complaint procedure was issued to people and relatives when the service started so they knew how to make a compliant. A person and relatives told us they had no cause to complain but felt able to speak with the registered manager if they needed. People medicines were mostly managed safely and people received their medicine as prescribed. The registered manager was taking action to improve medicine management.

People felt safe with care workers who supported them, and staff recruitment procedures reduced the risks of the service employing unsuitable care workers. The registered manager understood their responsibility to comply with the relevant requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People made decisions about their care and support.

The registered manager and care workers quickly identified if people’s health care needs changed and liaised with the right health care professional to support the person. People told us they felt safe using the service and care workers understood how to protect people from the risk of abuse. Risks to people’s safety were identified and care workers understood how these should be managed.

Care workers completed an induction and on-going training the provider considered essential to meet people’s needs safely and effectively. Care records reflected people’s diverse needs and gave care workers the detailed information needed to ensure care and support was provided in a way which respected people’s preferences. Care workers practice was regularly checked by the registered manager to make sure they worked in line with the provider’s policies and procedures.

People were supported to access health care professionals when needed. Support was given to people who required help with eating and drinking, if this was part of their planned care. Care workers felt supported and valued by the registered manager. Everyone we spoke with felt the registered manager was approachable and supportive.

People were supported with dignity and respect and, where possible, their independence was encouraged. People received their care and support from care workers who were patient and had the right skills and experience to provide the care and support required. People’s consent was gained before care and support was provided and care workers respected people’s decisions and choices.

People were involved in planning and reviewing their care and support. Care workers understood people's needs and abilities because they read care plans and shadowed the registered manager when they started working for the service. The registered manager and care workers worked with other professionals to support people to maintain their health and well-being.

Everyone spoken with was very satisfied with the service provided and the way the service was managed. The provider had policies, procedures and systems to check and monitor the quality and safety of the service people received. However, these were not always effective and required improvement. Action was being taken to address this by the registered manager. People and relatives were encouraged to share their views about the service to drive forward improvements.