Classic Care Homecare Services 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 83 people who used the service.

The registered manager was in post since the service registered in 2013. 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 when possible. Staff had established good working relationships with the people they supported and had a good understanding of their care needs. One person we spoke with told us, “I feel safe and confident with the care staff that I have. I have a condition which means I have to be transferred in a specific way to avoid problems. The care staff are experienced and know what to do.”

People told us the care was centred on their wishes. One person told us, “I needed the timings of my visits to be changed. A meeting was held to discuss this with the registered manager, following the meeting the service was able to accommodate my request. This demonstrated choice and control for people who use the service.

Staff knew how to respond to protect people from abuse and how to respond if they had any concerns. One member of staff told us how they raised concerns following a visit. The situation was dealt with by the relevant authorities and the person was protected. We found this to be in line with the service’s safeguarding policy and procedure.

Medicines were managed safely and people had support from staff where needed. For example, some people only required prompting to take their medicines whereas other people required staff to administer their medicines. Staff told us when the medicine was administered the medicine chart was signed to confirm people had received their medicines. Staff received training in the safe administration of medicines.

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 supervisions.

People said they knew how to make a complaint and were given the information to do so when they first joined the service. Staff were aware of the process to follow if someone made a complaint. This was in line with the service’s complaints procedure.

People had access to healthcare services to maintain good health. We spoke with one person, they told us. They have nursing needs as well and they see the community nurse on a regular basis.

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

We spoke with six people who either received care or supported people who did. They told us they felt care staff treated them with respect. One person described their experience as being "compassion in action." People were positive about the care received. "Very reliable and very punctual" was one comment. We were told the consistency of care was particularly good.

We looked at care plans. They had a detailed assessment of the person's care needs and how they were to be met. Copies of the referral for care were in place, together with a series of risk assessments.

When we looked at training records and spoke to staff we found not all staff had completed appropriate safeguarding training. This meant staff may not have had the necessary understanding of Buckinghamshire County Council's policy for the safeguarding of vulnerable adults or what procedure to follow when a safeguarding issue arose.

People told us they were aware of there being a complaints policy. There had been no formal complaints from people who received care. People told us they were most likely to raise any concerns if they had them direct with the office. Several people told us they had regular contact with the manager, and were able to raise any issues or concerns with them when they provided care themselves or carried out spot checks on other staff.

We visited and spoke with eight people who received care and with four relatives. They all told us the manager 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.

Care plans we viewed were drawn up from their initial assessments and were individualised and tailored to people's individual needs and preferences. The care plans contained details about people's medical and social histories which enabled staff to engage with people on subjects meaningful to them.

Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. Potential risks to people's safety had been identified and discussed with people who used the service. We saw examples of good working partnerships with other healthcare professionals to ensure people remained healthy and well. These included contacting people's GP's and district nurses where there was a change in people's condition.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. Staff we spoke with confirmed they had access to a structured training and development programme. Staff told us they enjoyed their work and felt well supported in their roles.