First Homecare - North London

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

This is the first inspection for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. People felt that staff knew and understood them, including their preferences, wishes and personal histories. Feedback was very positive about the kind and compassionate attitudes from both the management team and the care staff where they treated people and their relatives with respect. A relative gave positive examples where staff ensured they maintained their family member’s dignity during mealtimes. They added, “They are always there supporting, being patient and keeping their dignity. They are always very understanding with this.” Staff told us the management team observed how they engaged and communicated with people during home visits to ensure people were treated with kindness and respect.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Staff had worked with the person for a long time and knew them well and how they liked to be supported. Records showed staff worked with the person and their family to ensure their cultural, social and religious needs were met. A relative praised the regular care worker for how they supported their family member with this. They added, “[Family member] at times reverts back to their native tongue. The carer has started to pick up some of the local language and key words to help with the communication. They are always involving and listening to them."

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People and their relatives had positive experiences in how the staff team supported them to maintain relationships and friendships that were important to them, which had a positive impact on their wellbeing. A relative said, “[Family member] enjoys having lots of visitors and as the carer is always there, they will always accommodate this and knows exactly what to do.” They also told us the care workers knew when their family member would benefit from getting fresh air or catching up with family and friends. Samples of daily logs showed staff supported the person, sometimes with the help of relatives, out into the local community to preferred restaurants or visit people that were important to them.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Feedback was positive about how staff identified if people’s health and wellbeing deteriorated and how they responded in those situations. A relative praised a care worker for how they reacted during a situation that resulted in a hospital admission. They added, “The carer was absolutely fantastic, absolutely brilliant in how they managed this. I can tell you that we are never going to change from this agency.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. People were cared for by staff who felt supported and appreciated. The provider created a work culture that focused on staff wellbeing to ensure it had a positive impact on the care people received and how staff delivered the care to people.

Positive comments from staff included, “The manager is very mindful of our wellbeing, and they really look after us” and “I am very confident they would listen to me if I had any issues. They understand my own personal circumstances and my own health and provide me with everything I need.” The registered manager said due to the nature of live in care, it was very important to have regular contact and visits to make sure they could provide all the support that was needed and if any time off was needed.