First Prime Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to adults. At the time of this announced comprehensive inspection of 11 July 2018 there were 33 people who used the service. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of our inspection to make sure that someone was available.

At our last inspection of 20 and 28 October 2016, the service was rated good overall. The key questions for safe, effective, caring and responsive were rated good and the key question well-led was rated requires improvement. This was because improvements were needed in the service’s governance processes. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and is now rated good. The evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Improvements had been made in how the service was led. This included improvements in their governance systems to assess and monitor the service provided to people. The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were identified and addressed. As a result, the quality of the service continued to improve.

The service continued to provide people with a safe service. Risks to people continued to be managed, including risks from abuse and in their daily lives. The service had learned from incidents to drive improvement. There were enough care workers to cover people’s planned care visits. Recruitment of care workers was done safely. Where people required support with their medicines, this was done safely. The risks of cross infection were minimised.

The service continued to provide people with an effective service. People were supported by care workers who were trained and supported to meet their needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care workers cared for them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Systems were in place to support people with their dietary needs, if required. People were supported to have access to health professionals where needed. The service worked with other organisations involved in people’s care to provide a consistent service.

The service continued to provide a caring service. People had positive relationships with their care workers. People’s dignity, privacy and independence were respected and promoted. People’s views were listened to and valued.

The service continued to provide people with a responsive service. People received care and support which was assessed, planned and delivered to meet their individual needs. There were systems in place to support and care for people at the end of their lives, where required. A complaints procedure was in place.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 20 and 28 October 2016. The provider was given 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to know that someone would be available. The service provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 15 people.

There was a registered manager in place who was also one of two directors of the provider company. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 service quality monitoring and quality assurance processes were not embedded into the management of the service. They were not used to identify problems and drive improvement.

We have made a recommendation about quality assurance.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. Staff were provided with training and guidance in how to keep people safe and what they should do if they were concerned that a person was at risk or was being abused. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used

the service.

Care plans were person centred and reflected what was important to the person. They provided detailed information for care staff to enable them to provide care and support as the person wanted it. Staff received

People told us that they had good relationships with the staff that supported them. People and their relatives, where appropriate, were involved in making decisions about their care and support. People received care and support which was planned and delivered to meet their specific needs and people's consent was sought before they were provided with care and support. The service was up to date with the Mental Capacity Act 2015.

There were sufficient trained staff to meet the service commitments with the management team also providing hands on care. People were supported by staff that arrived on time and treated them with dignity and respect.

People using the service and their relatives knew what to do if they were unhappy with the service they received. They knew who to speak with if they had a concern and were confident that any concerns would be dealt with properly.