Primecare Support is registered to provide domiciliary care to people who require support and assistance in their in their own home in the Buckinghamshire area. On the day of our visit there were 209 people using the service.

The registered manager has been in post since 2010. 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.

People we spoke with told us staff were caring and considerate and promoted their independence. One person told us, “They come in and do a bit of tidying and help me prepare my food. I look forward to seeing them”.

Comments from staff included, “This is a great place to work” and “They are like a big family, you can talk to all of them they are always at the end of the phone”.

Staff received training in safeguarding and told us they would not hesitate to report anything of concern. Staff we spoke with told us, “I would report concerns to the office, and document this in the person’s care plan”.

Policies and procedures for the safe management of medicines were in place and being followed. Regular audits were carried out and any discrepancies were dealt with. We inspected the service’s medicine charts and found where staff had not signed for a medicine; an action plan was put in place by the registered manager. Staff were asked to sign the chart and where necessary further training was arranged.

Safe recruitment procedures were carried out. Recruitment files we saw contained relevant documentation required to ensure only suitable staff were appointed. Staff received appropriate induction, training and supervision. One member of staff told us, “We have got a good name out there, I have seen some changes. I do believe Primecare are the best at training”. Staff received a quick reference guide to outline basic principles of community care and some basic company procedures in a pocket sized book. One member of staff said, “It goes with me everywhere”.

People said they knew how to make a complaint and were given the information to do so when they first received a care service. Staff were aware of the process to follow if someone made a complaint. This was in line with the service’s complaints procedure. One person told us, “I have contacted the office and they have always been very pleasant”.

People had access to healthcare services to maintain good health. We spoke with one person, who told us, they had nursing needs and saw the community nurse on a regular basis. One member of staff told us, “I work alongside the district nurse occasionally. We have built up a good rapport.”

The service had effective quality monitoring systems in place to drive improvements and ensure the safety of people who use the service.

People who used the service told us they were treated with respect and consideration and that they were encouraged to express their views and talk about the care and support they needed. One person told us “I was involved in the planning of my care and I can always call the office if I need to change anything.” People told us they were treated well by the staff and one person said “The staff are all friendly and treat me very well; they cannot do enough for me!” One relative who told us “We were involved in planning and agreeing the care plan for my relative and we have been pleased with the service provided. “ We were told by people that they knew how to make a complaint about the service they received; one person told us “I know about the complaints procedure, I have been told about it but I have never needed to use it.”

The staff we spoke to showed a good knowledge of safeguarding procedures and policies and demonstrated how they would recognise and report suspected abuse. Staff told us they were supported through supervision and regular staff meetings and this enabled them to provide a good quality service to the people who used the service. The people who used the service were complimentary about the provider and the quality of care they received and the professionalism of care staff. One person told us “I am very happy with the service I receive, all the staff are professional in their approach and are able to support my needs.”

We were told that people were treated with respect and consideration. They were able to express their views and talk about the care and support they needed.

People told us that their privacy and dignity was respected at all times.

One person using the service told us they were very happy with the care they received. They told us that the care staff were so helpful and because of this they were able to stay in their home without having to worry.

We were told by one person using the service that they had never needed to make a complaint and always felt safe with the care staff.

People told us that they were able to express any concerns about their care.

We telephoned fifteen people who used the service, twelve relatives and visited seven people who used the service. They all told us someone from the agency had visited them to discuss and assess their care and support needs before they received a package of care. This was to ensure their views were taken into consideration and both parties were confident their needs could be met appropriately.

People's needs were assessed and the care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. The care plans were detailed, regularly reviewed and updated. Risk assessments had had been written to identify and reduce the likelihood of injury or harm with guidelines in place for staff to follow.

People told us they were happy with the care and support they received. They said they were involved in the care planning and review process and their views taken into consideration. One example was given to us was over the gender of carer, the person told us “I was asked if I would mind having a male member of staff and I said I did not want one. I have never had a male come here”.

People told us staff stay for the agreed time but three people commented that they were occasionally rushed. One person said “Sometimes I have different staff and I feel a little rushed”.

Staff we spoke with felt well supported and told us there was an open door policy, that they could approach the manager at any time if they had any concerns.