Archived: Compass Care

Updated 1 April 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 8 February 2016. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available to meet with us.

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an expert by experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Our experience by experience for this inspection had experience of the needs of people using domiciliary care services.

Before the inspection we reviewed the provider’s statement of purpose and the notifications we had been sent. A statement of purpose is a document which includes a standard required set of information about a service. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that providers must tell us about.

We used a variety of methods to inspect the service. We spoke with four people using the service, one relative, the acting manager, the service manager, the support manager, one senior carer and four care workers.

We looked at records relating to all aspects of the service including care, staffing and quality assurance. We also looked in detail at the care records of four people using the service.

Updated 1 April 2016

We carried out this inspection on 8 February 2016.

Compass Care provides personal care to people in their own homes. The service specialises in supporting older and younger adults including people living with dementia, learning disabilities, mental health conditions, physical disabilities, and sensory impairments. The service is available to people who are tenants of Asra Housing Association Limited.

At the time of our inspection there were 5 people using the service.

The service did not have a registered manager. This 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 manager in post told us she had submitted her application to CQC to become the service’s next registered manager.

People told us they felt safe using the service and trusted the staff. Staff knew how to safeguard the people using the service. The provider’s safeguarding policy emphasised that ‘safeguarding is everyone’s business’ and put people’s wellbeing at the heart of their care and support systems.

The staff provided effective care that met people’s physical and mental health needs. They were knowledgeable about the people they supported and knew how to support them in the way they wanted. Improvements were needed to the staff training programme to ensure all staff had completed the courses they needed to.

Staff encouraged people to eat and drink healthily and to have a varied diet. People told that staff supported them to make choices about their meals. People also gave us examples of how staff helped to ensure their healthcare needs were met, liaising with health care professionals and accompanying them to appointments where necessary.

The staff had a caring approach to the people they supported. People told us staff took an interest in their lives and talked with them about their own families which made them feel included. Staff valued the people they supported, welcoming a visit from a person who previously used the service and arranging to visit another person using the service who was in hospital.

People had their needs assessed prior to using the service and the information was used as a basis for their care plans and risk assessments. Care plans were personalised and focused on people’s views and how they wanted things done. One person told us how staff supported them throughout the day, fitting in with their lifestyle and providing advice and encouragement when it was needed.

Staff encouraged people to socialise, spend time in the local community, and maintain contact with their friends and family. This was in keeping with people’s wishes. A relative commented positively on the progress their family member had made since receiving support from the service.

People told us the manager and staff were approachable and they would tell them if there was anything they were unhappy about. They had to opportunity to share their views on the service during care reviews and through an annual quality assurance survey.