Radfield Home Care Wycombe, Beaconsfield & South Bucks

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 needs were assessed, and care plans provided a holistic picture of people's physical, social and emotional needs. This included information about people's backgrounds, communication needs, protected characteristics, health and nutritional needs. Where appropriate, people were supported by family members as part of assessments and reviews of their care. One relative advised, "I do get full involvement with her care plans and I'm involved in decisions made to her care".

People were supported by staff who were suitably inducted, trained and supported. Staff deployment aimed to provide continuity of care, enough travel time to deliver punctuality and matched staff where specific skills were required, such as knowledge of dementia, epilepsy or stoma care. People received a rota so they knew in advance who would be providing their support. People spoke positively about the punctuality of staff and standards of care. Comments included, "There are no issues with punctuality", "The carers have always arrived on time and cover all their duties both to my satisfaction and my husbands" and "It would always say on the rota who is coming so my mother doesn't get any surprises".

People received person-centred care which was responsive to their needs. Staff could speak in detail about people they support, with knowledge about people's likes, dislikes and preferred routines. People were supported to engage in activities they enjoy. Where people required additional support or their needs had changed, electronic systems enabled care plans to be quickly amended and updates were shared with staff. A relative advised, "I definitely feel the service has really allowed both of us to live life more independently… They respond to anything immediate in a hurry – for example; when my father needed support over the night, they were there straight away."

People told us staff were caring, compassionate and provided safe care. Staff supported people to maintain

their independence where possible and involved people in day to day decisions about their care and support. We received several compliments regarding the approach of staff. One relative advised, "My mother is bedbound but with the professional support she gets, she still feels she can still do all the things that independent people can do to an extent". A second family member advised, "My father is kept very safe from the care he receives. He looks forward to the visits every day. They [staff] are like friends offering support." A third relative told us, "Whenever they [staff] visit, they always spend time and chat before they finish their duties. They are very pleasant and lift the spirits of both my parents."

We found safe care and treatment was provided. People were safeguarded from risks of abuse and other risks, including infection control risks in relation to COVID-19. Safe medicines practice was followed, and people told us they received safe care. Accidents, incidents and complaints relating to people using the service were monitored to identify wider learning for the service.

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, however the recording did not always follow best practice. We recommended the service refer to best practice guidance to ensure written records can evidence how decisions are made and people are supported in their best interests.