Archived: Home First Service

Home First Service is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. The service was designed to allow people leaving hospital with additional needs to have the opportunity of an assessment in their own home before longer term decisions were made. People used the service for approximately two weeks. The staff team was multi-professional and included therapists, social workers and care workers. At the time of the inspection, eight people were using the service.

The service had moved location in April 2019.

People’s experience of using the service:

People told us they felt safe and staff were kind and caring. Staff understood how to protect people from harm or discrimination and had access to safeguarding adults’ procedures. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. The provider operated an effective recruitment procedure to ensure prospective staff were suitable to work for the service. The staff carried out risk assessments to enable people to retain their independence and receive care with minimum risk to themselves or others. People were protected from the risks associated with the spread of infection.

People received their medicines safely and were supported to eat and drink in accordance with their care plan.

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 supported this practice. A trusted assessor assessed people’s needs before they left hospital and the assessment was continued on their return home. The trusted assessor approach is designed to promote safe and timely discharges from NHS Trusts to adult social care services.

The provider had appropriate arrangements to ensure all staff received training relevant to their role. New staff completed an induction training programme. Staff were invited to participate in one to one and group meetings. All staff felt well supported and they were complimentary about the approach of the management team.

People and their relatives consistently told us staff were caring and always showed kindness and compassion. All people had an initial care plan, which the registered manager and staff team intended to develop to ensure there was more detail about people’s preferences. A social worker developed a comprehensive care plan usually within three days of people receiving a service. People and where appropriate their relatives had been consulted about their care needs and had been involved in the care planning process. Staff worked in respectful ways to maintain people's privacy and dignity. Staff were motivated and demonstrated a clear commitment to providing dignified and compassionate support.

People were aware of how they could raise a complaint or concern if they needed to and had access to a complaints procedure.

The registered manager demonstrated a strong and supportive leadership style. She led by example and promoted a culture of team work and inclusion for all. Staff felt valued and were proud to work for the service. The registered manager had established robust quality assurance systems and used feedback to make improvements to the service.

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

Rating at last inspection:

This was the first inspection of the service.

Why we inspected:

This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.

Follow-up:

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe and high- quality care and re-inspect in line with the rating for the service. We may inspect sooner if we receive information of concern.