We carried out a review of the data available to us about Care 1st Homecare - Berkshire on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Care 1st Homecare - Berkshire, you can give feedback on this service.
Care 1st Homecare – Berkshire is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. Not everyone who uses the service receives personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection there were 57 people receiving a service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were treated with exceptional care and kindness. They thought highly of the staff and praised their caring, thoughtfulness and their willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty for them. The registered manager and staff had created lasting and meaningful relationships with people. Those relationships enabled the service to provide excellent care, which achieved highly positive outcomes for people. The management and culture of the service demonstrated a caring approach and staff were also valued and cared about.
People received a truly person-centred service which promoted excellent outcomes for them and which included supporting their independence and having control over their lives. People received care and support that was personalised to meet their individual needs. Staff worked extremely well together for the benefit of people and the ethos of the service focused on the needs of the people and their wellbeing. One community professional commented, "The registered manager and her staff work well as a team. Staff retention is very good, which in turn ensures clients' [people's] needs are met."
People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and continue activities that were meaningful to them. People were consulted about their care and support and could change how things were done if they wanted to. People were treated with respect and their dignity was upheld. This was confirmed by people and their relatives who provided feedback. People's diverse needs were identified and met and their right to confidentiality was protected.
People were protected from the risks of abuse and said they felt safe with the staff providing their support and care. Risks to people’s personal safety had been assessed and plans were in place to minimise those risks. Staff recruitment and staffing levels supported people to stay safe while living as independent a life as possible.
People received effective care and support from staff who knew them well and were well trained. People received effective health care and support where needed. Medicines were handled correctly and safely. People's rights to make their own decisions were protected. They were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People benefitted from staff who were happy in their work and felt well managed and supported. People benefitted from a service which had an open and inclusive culture and encouraged suggestions and ideas for improvement from people who use the service, their relatives and staff.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 8 February 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Care 1st Homecare - Berkshire is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 41 people receiving a service.
The service had a registered manager as required. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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. The registered manager was present and assisted us during the inspection.
People were protected from risks to their health and wellbeing and were protected from the risk of abuse. Safe recruitment practices were followed before new staff were employed to work with people. Checks were made to ensure staff were of good character and suitable for their role.
Staff received training and supervision to enable them to do their jobs safely and to a good standard.
People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was promoted. People said their care workers were kind and caring. Staff were responsive to the needs of the people they supported and enabled them to maintain their independence as much as possible.
People's health and well-being was assessed with measures put in place to ensure people's needs were met in an individualised way. Medicines were managed well and staff handling medicines were only allowed to do so after completing their training and being assessed as competent. Where included in their care package, people were supported to eat and drink enough.
People received support that was individualised to their specific needs. Their needs were monitored and care plans reviewed regularly or as changes occurred. People's rights to make their own decisions, where possible, were protected and promoted by staff.
People benefitted from receiving a service that was managed well. Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the quality of the care, the support being delivered and the running of the service.