First Support Care

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 83 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them. People had their needs assessed prior to using the service and were offered welcome meetings, to discuss their needs and preferences and meet the staff. Care plans were detailed and were formulated using a variety of methods, such as meeting with people's social workers, obtaining health history, and care records. Where new people were being supported, meetings were held with staff, to provide guidance and communicate people's needs and preferences. People had access to their care plans and relatives told us they were involved in planning their care and treatment. A relative said, “Staff care for [name], they are great, very understanding. They know [name’s] needs and they are so accommodating if anything needs changing.”

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. We received extremely positive feedback from professionals about how the service worked with them to meet people's needs. A professional told us, “Staff demonstrated respectful, inclusive, and empathetic attitudes during training sessions. This reflects a positive internal culture and a strong foundation for quality care.” People had detailed care plans in place, this included oral healthcare plans. One person was supported with their oral healthcare regime, in line with their cultural needs, and was supported to do this before prayer. Care plans contained information and guidance for staff, which included advice given by external healthcare professionals, such as occupation therapists.

The provider always worked well across teams and services to support people. They shared thorough assessments of people’s needs when they moved between different services, so people only needed to tell their story once. A professional said, “Communicating with them [staff] was excellent, both on telephone and email responses. They would respond to telephone and emails as quickly as possible and very flexible in their dealing to support the service user.” Regular staff supervisions were in place and covered a range of topics, including professional development, proud achievements, how they could improve and people's needs and wishes. Records evidence staff were happy in their roles and worked well together. One record detailed how a staff member was happy as they had received positive feedback from people they supported. A staff member said, “There is a positive and high staff morale. Staff are committed.”

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. People received support with their meals and relatives told us staff offered people choices and healthy and balanced meals. Staff respected people's choices and prepared meals in line with their needs. For example, 1 person was supported with a specialised diet to reduce their risk of choking, and another person was supported with adapted cutlery, to maintain their independence whilst eating. A relative said, “Staff do [prepare] food and offer healthy food. They help feed [name], they take their time. Staff always stay for their allocated time.”

The provider monitored all people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they fully met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves. A relative said, “Staff have been good, we are happy with them. Always come on time and go extra as well, they [family member] moved house and staff have helped them do this. They [staff] always turn up, and go beyond their roles, they take care of [name].” Monthly audits were undertaken of people's care and their records, to ensure people were receiving care in line with their needs, records were up to date and people were happy with their care. Staff were extremely passionate about providing high quality care to people. A staff member said, “Good support means tailoring care to meet each person’s specific needs and preferences. I ask people their preferences, get to know them and read their care plans. Any changes are made to the care plans and these are shared with us in team meetings, handovers and digital updates.” Care records contained details about what outcomes people hoped to achieve, such as receiving visits from their grandchildren.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. People had consented to their care and treatment, this included consent for photographs, providing support, contacting healthcare professionals and providing emergency first aid. At the time of our assessment no one using the service lacked capacity to make decisions. However, staff were trained and understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). Staff told us how they communicated with people and gained their consent. A staff member said, “The legislation in practice means making sure that individuals are supported to make their own decisions wherever possible and that any decisions made on their behalf are in their best interests and follow legal guidelines. I would explain to the service user the care provided, then I would respect their wishes and document their refusal.”