We carried out a review of the data available to us about Classic Care Services Limited on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Classic Care Services Limited, you can give feedback on this service.
Classic Care Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency which provides support for adults in the community, including those living with dementia. At the time of the inspection 47 people were receiving personal care services.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The culture of the service was positive, and people and staff were complementary of the management and provider. Systems and process were in place to monitor the quality of the service being delivered.
People were happy with the care they received and felt safe with the staff that were supporting them. Staff told us it was a good place to work and the enthusiasm from the team impacted positively on the people using the service. People received support from a consistent team who knew them well. There were sufficient numbers of staff to ensure people did not feel rushed and people received their support on time.
The service was safe. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and improper treatment and staff knew how to identify potential harm and report concerns. People received their medicines safely from staff who were trained to administer these.
Care was personalised to meet people’s care, social and well-being needs. Care plans provided detailed information and guidance for staff. Staff knew people well and provided support in line with people’s preferences. People were treated with dignity and respect and their diverse needs were met.
People were cared for by staff who were well supported and had the right skills and knowledge to meet their needs effectively. Checks were carried out prior to staff starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service.
Positive and caring relationships had been developed between staff and people who used the service. People were treated with kindness and compassion and staff were friendly and respectful. People benefitted from having support from staff who had a good understanding of their individual needs.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 13 December 2018) and there were three breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Classic Care Services is a domiciliary care service situated in Crawley, West Sussex. It provides personal care to adults living in their own houses and flats in the community. Some people using the service were living with dementia and physical disabilities. At the time of the inspection there were 47 people using the service. Not everyone using the service receives the regulated activity of personal care; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.
The service did not have a registered manager. However, the new manager started at the service on the day of the inspection and told us they planned to apply to register with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
At the last inspection on 12 April 2016 the service was rated good. At this inspection on 8 November 2018 the service was rated as requires improvement for the first time.
The provider's approach to quality assurance was inconsistent and systems were not always in place to identify issues in service delivery. Issues we identified at this inspection had not been identified by the provider’s systems. There were audits in place with the aim of ensuring good governance. These were not consistently completed and did not always identify actions taken when issues were identified. Care plans were not always complete or reflective of people’s needs and lacked person centred detail.
Accidents and incidents were not always managed safely. The provider told us that they were not always assured that incidents had been responded to appropriately as they were not managed in a consistent way. People gave mixed feedback about staffing levels which impacted on when they received their care, this resulted in some people experiencing late calls.
People told us they felt safe. A relative told us, “I've never felt that they skimped on the work, I feel he is very safe with them.” People were protected from the risk of harm and staff had a good understanding of safeguarding. Identified risks to people's personal safety were assessed and plans were in place to minimise these risks. People's medicines were managed safely and medicines were administered by trained staff. People were protected from infection control risks.
People's needs and choices were assessed prior to people using the service and regularly thereafter. A member of staff told us, “We always go out and do an assessment prior to people joining the service. It is important to meet people so we get to know them and their needs, it makes the transition more comfortable for people.” People received effective care and support from staff who were well trained and supported within their roles. People were supported at mealtimes to have food and drink of their choice.
People were supported to access healthcare services and staff responded to people's health needs effectively. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People and their relatives all told us staff were kind and compassionate. One person told us, “The girls are absolutely lovely very kind and very caring.” People and their relatives, if appropriate, were involved in discussions about their care. Care plans were regularly reviewed and people were involved in this process. Staff were respectful of people’s needs and wishes. A relative told us, “They are really kind to both of us I can't praise them enough. I think they are polite, kind, and respectful.”
Staff were responsive to people’s needs. People received personalised care from staff who were person centred in their approach. Staff supported people sensitively at the end of their lives and worked alongside other healthcare professionals to ensure people had a compassionate and dignified death. Within a thank you letter sent to the provider, one relative said, “The care and compassion shown have been a great comfort.”
People and their relatives told us they thought the service was well-led and said they would recommend the service to other people. A relative told us, “I am very happy that they are doing a good job looking after my father.” Staff felt supported and valued by the management team. Staff said the values of the service were to be open and transparent. We observed the management team to be open about the challenges they had faced. People and staff were involved in the service provided, feedback was sought from people regularly and in a variety of ways to ensure people had a say on the service they received.
We found three breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) regulations 2014.
The service had a registered manager in post. The 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 had systems in place to keep people safe. Staff had a good understanding of the correct procedures to follow should they suspect abuse and people told us they felt safe living at home with the service from Classic Care Services. People told us there were enough staff to cover the visits and that they had regular care workers one person commented “We usually have the same girls, it’s a small team, they are all lovely,” another person said, “They have never let me down.” Staff told us they worked in geographical areas and covered for each other in the event of absences such as holiday or sickness, one member of staff said “There are plenty of staff, it’s a good team and we can cover for each other.”
Procedures for managing medicines were safe and staff had all received training. People told us they had confidence in staff ability to support them with their medicines, one person said “They know exactly what they are doing with my tablets, I have no concerns.” Risk assessments were robust and staff told us that having comprehensive risk assessments in place helped them to provide care safely and to support people to take positive risks.
Staff were well supported and had access to regular training. Recruitment procedures were robust and one recently recruited member of staff said “I had plenty of time to get to know people and to listen and watch how the other carers did things.” People told us they felt the staff were well trained, comments included “They are all very good at their jobs,” and “They have been well trained and know how to care for me.” Staff were able to demonstrate an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act including the nature and types of consent, people’s right to take risks and the necessity to act in people’s best interests when required. People and their relatives told us that staff sought their consent before providing care and support.
People were supported with food and drink. Nutritional risks and needs were identified and managed with effective monitoring. People and relatives told us that staff were proactive in recognising when people needed to access health care services, one person said “The carer knew straight away that I wasn’t well and asked me if I had called the doctor, they were straight on the phone to them.” People were happy with the care they received and told us the carers were kind and considerate. One person said, “You see such terrible things on the TV about agency’s providing care, there’s nothing like that with this one, they are so caring.” People confirmed that they were involved in making decisions about their care and that staff treated them with respect, one person said, “They are always very respectful of me and the fact that they are in my house.” People said they valued the relationships they had built, one person said, “I can talk to all of them, I like a chat, and the ones I like most, well I can confide in them.” Another person told us, “When I’m down they cheer me up, they’re a happy bunch.”
People’s care plans clearly documented their needs and choices and staff demonstrated that they knew the people they supported very well. Care plans were regularly reviewed and amended to support people’s changing needs and staff told us they were able to be flexible with the care they provided. People told us that staff were punctual and stayed for the duration that they expected. One person said “I don’t ever feel rushed, they take it at my pace.” Staff told us if they needed to stay longer with someone they could, and the registered manager confirmed this.
People told us they knew how to make complaints and that they felt comfortable to do so. There were effective systems in place to monitor quality and staff said the registered manager and the provider were approachable and supportive. They felt the service was well run and their views were considered and respected. One staff member told us “I’m proud to be a care worker,” another said, “I wouldn’t stay if I didn’t think it was a good service.