The Care Quality Commission
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First In Care Services

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Kingsgate, Office 623, Regus, 62 High Street, Redhill, RH1 1SG 0330 311 0665

Provided and run by:
First In Care Services Ltd

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment 18 March to 2 April 2024. First In Care Services is a homecare agency providing care to people with physical, health and dementia related support needs in their own homes and flats. This assessment looked at the improvements made in the service since the last inspection. The rating at our last inspection (published 24 January 2023) was requires improvement. At this assessment, the rating changed to good. We reviewed quality statements in Safe, Effective and Well-Led only. The registered manager employed since the last inspection now maintained a good oversight of the quality and safety of the care provided to people. There were now enough safely recruited staff in place to provide timely care to people and no visits were missed. People and relatives were now asked for feedback and there were quality assurances processes in place. Staff now completed initial needs assessments with people which addressed their needs, individual risks, preferences and wishes and informed their care plans.

27 October 2022

During a routine inspection

About the service

First In Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 16 people using the service. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of inspection 8 people were receiving support with the regulated activity of personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

There was a lack of a registered manager, this appeared to have had a direct impact of oversight of the service. People and relatives had not been asked for feedback and there was no quality assurances processes in place. There was a lack of oversight of staffing levels, missed calls and calls of concern were not being responded to in a timely way.

There were not enough staff to meet people’s needs, and there was not always evidence of safe recruitment practises being followed. We received some negative feedback regarding pre-assessments not being thoroughly completed and not completed in a timely way.

People and relatives told us how staff treated them with kindness and respect. They also confirmed staff respected their equality and diversity.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People had person-centred care plans and detailed care plans to advise staff about how best to communicate with people.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 05 November 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We inspected in line with inspection scheduling and to formally rate the service.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance of the service at this inspection.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.