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Archived: 1st Call Care Birmingham

227 Mary Vale Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, B30 2DL (0121) 459 1011

Provided and run by:
1st Call Care (Birmingham) Ltd

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile
Important: This service is now registered at a different address - see new profile

All Inspections

27 November 2013

During an inspection looking at part of the service

When we visited, the service was providing personal care to 37 people. We spoke to three people and the relatives of three people who used the service. We also looked at care and staffing records and spoke to the registered manager and three members of staff. All the people we spoke to said that they were generally happy with the care they or their relative received. One person told us that they had, “No complaints or issues”. Another person told us, “Time keeping is not too good, but they always ring if they are running late.”

We found that people were still at risk of harm because the provider had not taken the actions they said they would after our previous inspection. Staff were not aware of action to take in the event of a concern and did not know where to find a contact number for the local safeguarding authority. One staff member told us, “It’s probably on a wall somewhere”.

The provider had not reviewed their recruitment processes since our last inspection and we found that the provider was employing staff without the appropriate checks to ensure that people were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

At this visit we found that the provider was unable to protect people from unsafe care and treatment. The systems in place to assess and monitor the service failed to identify if compliance with the relevant regulations was being maintained to ensure that people were receiving safe care and support.

20 August 2013

During a routine inspection

When we visited, the service was providing personal care to 42 people some of whom were not able to give us their views because of their complex needs and conditions. We used a number of methods to understand the experiences of the people who used the service.

People told us that the staff caring for their relatives had a good manner, respected people's dignity and spoke to them as adults.

Care was planned and designed to meet people's individual health and welfare needs. A person who used the service told us, 'I am very happy with the service, they know what I like'.

We saw that the provider had not made suitable arrangements to ensure that service users were safeguarded against the risk of abuse.

We found that the provider did not have robust recruitment processes in place to ensure people were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

We found that there were sufficient care workers who were skilled and competent to provide people with the care they required to meet their individual needs although the provider did not have a record of some staff's qualifications.

Staff told us they felt supported to meet the care and welfare needs of the people who used the service.

The provider was unable to protect people from unsafe care and treatment because they did not regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service provided.