Care First 24 Ltd

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated Outstanding. This meant services were tailored to meet the needs of individuals and delivered to ensure flexibility, choice and continuity of care.

This service scored 93 (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 was exceptional at making sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

People received exceptionally personalised service where they were at the centre of the care being delivered. Care plans were detailed, robust and provided a clear profile of who people were, what was important to them, and how they wanted to be supported. Care staff knew people and their needs well and went out of their way to provide the highest standard of care for them. For example, one person could not verbally communicate how they wanted to spend a special birthday celebration. Staff knew the person well and used their knowledge of the person and the persons facial expressions and body language to different outings to identify what the person liked and what was meaningful to them. Staff spent months researching and planning for the person to take a trip on a boat, which they had not previously done. Staff shared photos of the person on their birthday trip which showed the joy on the person’s face.

People’s goals and aspirations were documented and progress against these were documented. People were supported to be their full self. People were supported to plan and reach their goals, with all achievements seen as significant by staff.

A professional had shared, “We are grateful for your continued efforts and professionalism to ensure [person’s name] is at the centre of care. Your approach has been exceptional.”

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

People, relatives and healthcare professionals told us that people received continuity in their care. One relative told us, that the care and support Care First 24 provided was, “Way above the funding, they have done more than they needed to.”

People experienced care from a specifically recruited staff team, matched with their needs. For example, one person had a package of care, and leaders identified that they would benefit from a staff team closer to their age. New staff were introduced and as a result of the person and staffs shared interests the person began to go out more, and experience new things.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

People were provided with information in a way which was meaningful to them and met their needs. The provider ensured that information was provided in a way which suited each person, for example through the use of PECS cards or Makaton. Some people used the translation service to ensure their needs and wishes were known. Staff had training to support people in their communication needs, and this was clearly set out in people’s care plans.

The provider had a complaints policy and process to ensure that any complaints were acted on and responded to in a positive way. The provider ensured people and their loved ones were able to access information about raising complaints or concerns. All the people and their loved ones had access to the complaints policy and told us that all issues were resolved before they escalated to complaints.

The provider was exceptional at enabling people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff always involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

People were enabled to have choice and control of their lives. One person needed significant work to be carried out on their home and needed to move out to enable this to happen. Staff worked with the person sharing a social story with them and sourced a temporary home near to the person’s home that was being adapted. Staff took the person to the temporary home, to slowly introduce them before they moved in. The person was also supported to regularly visit their home to re-assure them they would return and to show the person the progress with their home.

The provider tried to share surveys in order to receive feedback from people and their loved ones, however this was not overly successful. The provider spoke with people and their loved ones, and understood people did not always have time to complete surveys. Instead through consultation with people, the provider introduced a feedback service whereby staff regularly call people and their loved ones to seek feedback. This proved to be much more successful, and the information gained was used to implement improvements within the service. The feedback received was positive, and this was always shared with staff to reward them for their hard work.

The provider was exceptional at ensuring people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The provider and staff worked tirelessly to ensure people accessed care, treatment and support, and did not face inequalities due to people’s health needs or their disabilities. The service had an equality champion who was trained and empowered to support people to access care and support. For example, an autistic person supported by Care First 24 was empowered to become the autism and learning disability champion for the service. The person shared their experiences of receiving care as an autistic person, and how that impacted them. They also shared with staff what staff could do to better understand and support people from their lived experience.

Staff and leaders were innovative in how they listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes. Staff and leaders actively used this information to provide exceptionally tailored care, support and treatment in response to this.

The provider and staff worked to ensure people experienced everything they aspired to. Staff thrived on the challenges of supporting people to remove barriers to their experiences. For example, one person loved skateboarding, and wanted to experience a particular attraction in London, but struggled to be in large crowds of people. Staff supported the person to safely access this during a time where less people would be present, enabling the person to be fully emersed, relaxed and happy during their experience. Their loved one said, “I have never known them so happy and content, gone are the days of disinterested body guards.”

People were given exceptional support to plan for important life changes, so they could make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

Staff worked with people to understand what was important to them and supported them to achieve this. One person wanted to attend their friends stag do, staff worked with them to make this possible, which had a positive impact on people and their loved ones, supporting them to make final lasting memories.

People were supported to attend important life events and staff supported families to bring these forward when necessary to ensure people could be a part of the celebrations. This included a wedding for one person and anniversary dinner for another person.

Staff showed exceptional affection towards people and completed numerous charity events in honour of the people they had supported, raising funds for charities that supported people with those health conditions.

Within the office, there was a quiet area, with white doves on the window, where candles were lit to remember people when they passed away, or on the anniversary of their passing. The provider told us, “It’s important to us to remember them.”