Archived: First Choice Care Agency Limited

Updated 18 January 2017

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 took place on 13 December 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure someone was available at the office. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The provider returned the completed PIR.

We reviewed the provider’s statement of purpose and the notifications we had been sent. A statement of purpose is a document which includes a standard required set of information about a service. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that providers must tell us about.

We spoke with three people using the service and three relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, care co-ordinator, and training and human resources consultant. Following the inspection visit we spoke with three care workers by telephone.

During the inspection visit we looked at the care records of three people who used the service. These records included care plans, risk assessments and medicine records. We also looked at recruitment and training records for two members of staff. We looked at the provider's systems for monitoring quality, complaints and concerns, minutes of meetings, and a range of policies and procedures.

Updated 18 January 2017

This was an announced inspection that took place on 13 December 2016.

First Choice Care Agency Limited is registered to provide personal care. The service is situated in Leicester and provides care to people who live in their own homes in Leicester mainly in the LE4 and LE5 postcode areas. The service caters for older people. There were 27 people using this service at the time of our inspection.

The service has a registered manager. This 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 and relatives told us the staff who worked for the service were caring and kind. They said they had regular staff which gave them the opportunity to build positive caring relations with them. They gave us examples of staff going out of their way to provide them with flexible and personalised care.

The staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about the people they supported. They understood their care needs and how to keep them safe. They were also aware of their hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes, and preferences. The caring approach of the staff meant that people and relatives felt happy and secure using the service.

Staff told us the service had a family atmosphere and the registered manager was supportive and caring. She valued her staff and understood how important they were to the people using the service. She encouraged the staff to develop their skills and knowledge through training, regular meetings and supervision sessions.

People using the service had their care needs assessed and care plans put in place before the service commenced. This meant staff had the information they needed to provide safe and effective care. If people were at risk in any area of their lives staff took action to minimise this using, for example, skilled moving and handling and infection control techniques.

The care provided was flexible and staff made changes if people wanted these, providing the person remained safe. Staff worked with other health and social care professionals and knew when to refer people for medical assistance if they needed it. People and relatives told us their calls were punctual and staff stayed for the designated amount of time.

People and relatives told us that overall the service provided good quality care and they were satisfied with how it was run. They said they were encouraged to share their views about the service through annual surveys and during care reviews. They also said the registered manager was approachable and they could contact her at any time if they had a concern or wanted to discuss the service.

The registered manager and care coordinator carried out regular audits of all aspects of the service to ensure it was running effectively. This centred on a monthly audit of each person’s package of care and support which checked to see that people were satisfied with the quality of care and support provided. Records showed that the registered manager and staff took action to continually improve the service.