A Croydon care provider has been placed in special measures after a damning inspection found care was often unsafe and poorly managed. In one instance, people relying on time-sensitive medication were left waiting, or missed entirely, due to late or absent care visits.
Classique Care Services (CCS) Limited, previously rated “good” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), has now been downgraded to “inadequate” following a February inspection. The review was prompted by concerns raised by the local authority about the standard of care being delivered.
At the time of the inspection, CCS was supporting 138 people in their own homes, with 125 receiving care regulated by the CQC. Inspectors found widespread failings, including care visits that were missed, delayed, or significantly shortened.
The report highlighted a lack of continuity, with unfamiliar carers often turning up without notice. Although the service was previously praised for having enough staff, recent inspections found a lack of trained and experienced carers, leaving many unsure who would turn up to support them.
The service had also been without a manager registered with the CQC since July 2023. Inspectors concluded the current leaders lacked the skills and oversight needed to run the service safely.
Serious concerns were also raised about incident management. The provider frequently failed to record or report events where things had gone wrong, putting people at further risk.
People using the Lansdowne Road-based service gave mixed feedback, with many citing poor communication and inconsistent support. Some said carers were often late, unfamiliar, or left early, leaving them feeling neglected.
Relatives said the office rarely gave notice of delays or changes to scheduled visits. Complaints were often not addressed, leading to frustration and a growing lack of confidence in the service.
While most care staff were described as kind, many people said poor organisation and weak leadership had a negative effect. They felt the service was unresponsive and failed to meet their needs.
Antoinette Smith, CQC’s deputy director of operations in London, said: “Some people said the lack of regular staff made them feel unsafe, and that some staff weren’t always as kind or respectful as those who knew them well. Leaders hadn’t employed enough suitably trained staff, and people said their care visits were frequently late or missed without warning. We found visits were often cut short, with some staff staying for less than half the time they were meant to.”
She added: “Many people’s care plans were also poor quality and made without sufficient input or agreement from them or their relatives. People’s risk assessments were equally poor, and didn’t always guide staff on how to reduce risks to people’s safety, such as falls.
“This meant staff didn’t always have the information they needed to meet people’s needs safely or respect their preferences, especially if they didn’t know them well.” At the time of the inspection, CCS had recently hired a consultancy firm to address similar concerns already flagged by Croydon Council. However, inspectors noted it was too early to see the impact of those changes.
Smith added: “We’ve shared our findings with the management to show where immediate improvements are needed, and won’t hesitate to take further action if we don’t see this happening. We’re closely monitoring the service to ensure people are kept safe in the meantime.”
What CCS is doing to improve service on offer
In response, a spokesperson for CCS said: “A lot of work has been completed by all the care team members within the service to ensure improvements are being completed and embedded in practice.” The service reported receiving positive feedback from clients in recent telephone calls and said a daily-reviewed action plan is in place.
They continued: “Our focus is to ensure that service users’ safety is of paramount importance. We are committed to making sure all care team members are appropriately trained and able to deliver high-quality care.”
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