Home care agency · Chatham
First Class Healthcare Ltd
Illustrative photo, not of First Class Healthcare Ltd- Address
- Unit 16, Kent Space, 6-8 Revenge Road, Lordswood, Chatham, ME5 8UD
- Run by
- First Class Healthcare Ltd
- Type of provider
- Independent (private company)
- Service
- Home care agency, Supported living
- Dementia
- Registered with CQC to support people living with dementia
- Registered with CQC
- July 2017 (9 years)
- Registered manager
- Marta Maria Kowalska
- Company check
- Active, trading since 2009 (17 years), accounts up to date (Companies House 06802501)
- Last CQC check
- 30 Oct 2021
- Typical fees Estimated
- £30–£37 an hour for visiting care, weekdays; live-in £1,450–£1,770 a week. Estimated from prices published locally; not a quote. How we estimate
CQC regulated activities: Personal care
More in Chatham: Home care in Chatham (163) · Best rated home care agencies in Chatham · Dementia care at home in Chatham · Elderly care at home in Chatham · Physical disability care at home in Chatham · Live-in care in Chatham
Full report at cqc.org.uk · CQC location ID 1-3983930208
First Class Healthcare Ltd at a glance
First Class Healthcare Ltd is a CQC-registered home care agency that also provides supported living in Chatham. Its CQC registration covers adults of all ages and children, including people living with dementia, physical disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health conditions, sight or hearing loss and drug or alcohol problems.
At its most recent rating, CQC judged it Requires improvement overall (October 2021). Safe and Well-led were rated Requires improvement. It is one of 163 CQC-registered home care agencies that have an office within 7 miles of Chatham; 53 of those are rated Good or Outstanding.
Who runs it
First Class Healthcare Ltd is run by First Class Healthcare Ltd (company 06802501), incorporated in 2009, 8 years before this service registered with CQC.
At Companies House, the company is listed as active, its accounts are filed on time, it has 2 active directors and there is no insolvency history.
Its registered business activity is care for people with learning disabilities, mental health problems or substance misuse, other residential care and social work without accommodation for older and disabled people (which includes home care).
What CQC's inspectors reported
- There were appropriate levels of suitably trained staff to support people with their assessed needs however, we identified staff were working without necessary legal checks to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people.
- The provider did not have robust recruitment procedures in place to identify these shortfalls.
- Records with checking and auditing people's care and support plans were inconsistent in the level of detail they contained.
- It was not clear when people's care packages were reviewed, or if changes identified had been made.
Inspected 15 September 2021; report published 30 October 2021. In CQC's words, from its published findings (Open Government Licence). Read the full report.
CQC ratings, area by area
- Safe16 of 49 in Medway
- Effective36 of 49 in Medway
- Caring44 of 49 in Medway
- Responsive37 of 49 in Medway
- Well-led15 of 49 in Medway
Ratings from CQC's most recent report, published 30 October 2021. Under each rating: how many agencies in Medway share it.
History with CQC
CQC registration dates from July 2017, so the service has been operating for around 9 years under its current registration.
CQC has published 2 overall ratings for it (2018–2021), starting at Good and falling to Requires improvement.
No new overall rating has been published for 4 years. CQC re-inspects based on risk, so an old rating is not a bad sign in itself, but staff and management may have changed.
The CQC website holds 2 reports for it, the latest from 30 October 2021.
Ratings over time
- Aug 2018
- Oct 2021
- Today Rating 4 years old
Every overall rating on record for this location, earliest first. The latest rating is lower than the one before.
CQC documents
- CQC inspection report 30 October 2021
- CQC inspection report 17 August 2018
Where it is
- Ward
- Lordswood & Walderslade
- Council
- Medway Council · paying for care
- Parliamentary constituency
- Chatham and Aylesford
- NHS integrated care board
- NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board
- ONS area type
- Urban; nearer to a major town or city
- Neighbourhood deprivation
- Among the 50% least deprived areas in England
- Postcode district
- Home care in ME5 (15)
Bigger map · Plan a journey · Base map © OpenStreetMap
Ward and NHS boundaries from official postcode data, Open Government Licence. Care happens at home, not here: this is where the agency is run from.
Strengths and weak spots in the ratings
Area by area, Safe and Well-led are rated below Good; 3 other areas are Good.
Across Medway, 16 of 49 rated agencies are Requires improvement for Safe (33%), while 15 of 49 rated agencies are Requires improvement for Well-led (31%).
If you are considering it, read the Safe and Well-led section of the report first and ask what has changed since the inspection.
How it fits locally
There are 24 other agencies within 3 miles, 6 of them rated Good or Outstanding; the nearest is Connect and Care, under 0.5 miles away.
It is registered for needs that fewer services nearby cover: children (5 of the nearest 25).
5 of the 9 nearest rated agencies have a more recent rating than this one.
It sits in Lordswood & Walderslade ward, classed by ONS as urban (nearer to a major town or city), among the 50% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. NHS services here are planned by NHS Kent and Medway ICB.
Specialisms
Specialisms as registered with CQC.
Budgeting for this agency
We estimate visits from First Class Healthcare Ltd at £30–£37 an hour (visiting care, weekdays), based on published prices in the region. As an example, an hour each morning and a 30-minute evening call comes to about £350 a week.
A live-in carer typically costs £1,450–£1,770 a week locally.
Medway Council can help with costs for people with savings under £23,250, starting with a free assessment.
Family reviews
No family has reviewed First Class Healthcare Ltd on The Care Panel so far.
Reviews are separate from CQC ratings. We verify the reviewer's email and never let providers remove reviews. How reviews work.
How First Class Healthcare Ltd compares
- Rated Requires improvement. Across Medway, 65% of the 48 rated home care agencies are Good or Outstanding and 1 is Outstanding.
- Its rating (October 2021) is more recent than 38% of agency ratings in Medway.
- Registered with CQC in 2017: it has been registered longer than 83% of home care agencies in the area.
- It lists 9 specialisms with CQC; the typical agency in Medway lists 5.
- Areas CQC rated below Good: Safe (35% of home care agencies in Medway are also rated below Good here); Well-led (35% of home care agencies in Medway are also rated below Good here). Ask the provider what has changed since.
Comparison set: every registered home care agency in Medway, CQC data for Oct 2026.
Closest alternatives
Guides for families
Recently rated home care agencies near Chatham
- Azure CareDec 2025 · 2.7 miles
- Galilee CareMar 2026 · 0.9 miles
- Intrinsic CareJul 2025 · 0.9 miles
Frequently asked about First Class Healthcare Ltd
- Where is First Class Healthcare Ltd?
- The agency works from Unit 16, Kent Space, 6-8 Revenge Road, Lordswood, Chatham, ME5 8UD; ask which postcodes its carers cover.
- What are First Class Healthcare Ltd's fees?
- No fee list from First Class Healthcare Ltd has reached us. Visiting care typically costs around £32–£34 an hour (typical 2026 prices across England). Get the quote in writing, including any extra charges.
- What services is First Class Healthcare Ltd registered for?
- Registration for First Class Healthcare Ltd covers: homecare agencies, supported living. Check which of these it offers today.
- When did CQC last rate First Class Healthcare Ltd?
- CQC published the current rating on 30 October 2021, 4 years ago. Older ratings are common, so ask about changes since.
- Is First Class Healthcare Ltd registered with CQC?
- It is. The CQC register records First Class Healthcare Ltd as a home care agency, location ID 1-3983930208 and was rated Requires improvement overall in October 2021.
- Does First Class Healthcare Ltd support people with dementia?
- Its registration includes dementia. Useful questions: how many staff hold dementia training, and how is a bad day handled?
- How did First Class Healthcare Ltd score on each CQC key question?
- The five CQC areas: Safe: Requires improvement; Effective: Good; Caring: Good; Responsive: Good; Well-led: Requires improvement. Safe and Well-led are the sections most worth your time.
Home care in nearby towns
In Medway
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Information: Care Quality Commission, Oct 2026 (Open Government Licence v3.0). Sections in the provider's own words are theirs; we compiled everything else from public data. The Care Panel is independent and not a care provider.