A domiciliary care service in Hereford has been rated outstanding following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in June.
CQC inspected First Key Hereford, ran by Salutem LD BidCo IV Limited, and found a service where people benefitted from outstanding care.
First Key Hereford is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to younger and older adults living in their own homes, or shared housing. People had differing support needs including learning disabilities or autism, sensory and physical disabilities. Due to their needs, some people using the service received 24-hour care from the provider.
Following the inspection, the service was rated outstanding overall and for being safe, responsive and well-led. It was rated good for being effective and caring.
Natalie Reed, CQC head of adult social care inspection, said:
“When we inspected First Key Hereford, we were extremely impressed by the level of support people received and found a service that provided outstanding care to people in their own homes.
“There was a strong and visible person-centred culture and staff cared for people in a way that exceeded expectations. People and their relatives praised the approach of staff and commented on the positive impact they had made on people’s lives.
“Staff knew and understood people well and supported them with their hobbies and aspirations. The service matched staff to people who had similar interests and as a result, people were at ease, engaged and stimulated.
“People were involved in shopping, choosing and planning their own meals and staff had supported people to use technology to do this. Staff recognised some people enjoyed preparing and cooking their own meals and helped them to do this.
“The service ensured nobody had any gaps in their care. For example, staff had worked closely with a person and health professionals to reduce their fear of medical appointments. Through effective joint working, the person had newfound confidence in accessing health services.
“The whole team deserve to be congratulated for all their hard work and commitment.”
CQC inspectors found:
- Staff focused on people's strengths and promoted what they could do so they could lead fulfilling and meaningful lives
- People's care and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life
- Staff supported people to take part in activities and pursue their interests in their local area and to interact online with people who had shared interests
- People received kind and compassionate care, and staff protected and respected people's privacy and dignity
- Staff turnover was very low, which supported people to receive consistent care from staff who knew them well
- Staff ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity
- The service enabled people and those important to them to work with staff to develop and improve the service
- Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe.