During an assessment under our new approach
Date of assessment 16 to 19 February 2026.
The Integrated Crisis Response Service (ICRS) is a domiciliary care agency providing short term crisis intervention and is part of the local authorities ‘home first model’, which works with established partner organisations in supporting people to remain in their own home. The service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and has a target response time of 2 hours. The ICRS role includes responding to people who have fallen at home by working in collaboration with other services, preventing admission to hospital and facilitating people’s discharge from hospital to home. The service is part of the local authorities ‘home first model’, which works with established partner organisations in supporting people to remain in their own home. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspect where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks relating to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our assessment 25 people were being supported who received personal care.
We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities as most people take for granted. However, at the time of the inspection, no person with a learning disability or autistic person was receiving care and support.
The provider, registered manager, management team and staff worked collaboratively with key health and social care partners and agencies, to support the delivery of a cohesive, dynamic and responsive service, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All those involved were committed to providing a 2-hour response time, responding to requests and referrals for assistance from people and health and social care partners. Key health and social care partners and services were unequivocally positive about ICRS.
ICRS collaborative approach with health and social care partners and services, enabled them to support people timely and effectively when they had fallen at home. Providing an expedited service in promoting people’s health and wellbeing, executed by staff who had receiving training in assessing people’s health and wellbeing, the mitigation of risk and the deployment and safe use of equipment to assist people from the floor.
Collaborative working with health and social care partners ensured a co-ordinated transition of people’s care between services, which included in some instances working from a hospital site. This collaborative and timely response to referrals enabled people to remain at home by preventing admission to hospital, or expediting people’s discharge from hospital emergency departments or wards, where people had been accessed as having no clinical needs, and may benefit from social care support.
Comprehensive assessments identifying people’s needs and any potential risks were undertaken by ICRS staff, focusing on the person and their home. Assessments identified potential areas of support, and where involvement from other services or agencies may enhance and support health, wellbeing and independence. Collaborative working and streamlined processes enabled ICRS staff to expediate referrals to other services and agencies, including housing, assistive technology, specialist and therapy services. Care Act Assessments were carried out by ICRS staff, which both identified any ongoing social care support and accelerated the process in securing this.
People’s care records evidenced staffs’ collaborative approach with other services, including the documenting of referrals and discussions with other professionals in the promotion of the delivery of safe, effective and responsive care.
The provider’s ethos towards care was embedded across the workforce. People’s support and care was facilitated by staff who had undergone a safe recruitment process, and who had the training, skills and knowledge to facilitate excellent outcomes for people. Training for staff reflected specific areas of people’s needs, which included dementia, learning disabilities and autistic people, underpinned by tailored training specific to the role of the ICRS service.
The provider and registered manager were committed to providing a non-discriminatory and inclusive approach within the service, both for people using the service and staff, underpinned by robust strategies, which outlined the provider’s commitment to equality, diversion and inclusion. Information about the service and supporting information was available in a range of formats and languages.
The registered manager and management team were dedicated and inclusive leaders and managed a committed team of staff. Continuous development of the service was facilitated by a learning culture, underpinned by systems and processes which kept under review the quality and safety of the service provided. People’s views, and those of staff, key stakeholders and partner agencies were central to learning and innovation.
Staff worked collaboratively with each other and other services. They were consistently positive about the registered manager and management team, including their responsiveness, support and good communication.
The collaborative approach of working with key health and social care partners, facilitated by the registered manager, provided an overview of the wider landscape of health and social services. This enabled the service to respond to wider system pressures. A commitment to continuous learning and development enabled ICRS to evolve and expand the services it provided. A key stakeholder told us, “ICRS is widely regarded as a trusted and valued service across the system.”