Background to this inspection
Updated
22 July 2021
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.
Inspection team
Three inspectors carried out the inspection.
Service and service type
Home of Compassion is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that the provider is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. A new manager had been appointed and was due to start work two weeks after our inspection.
Notice of inspection
The inspection was announced. We contacted the service an hour before we arrived to check the home’s COVID-19 status and visiting protocols.
Before the inspection
We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We reviewed the evidence we had about the service. This included any notifications of significant events, such as serious injuries or safeguarding referrals. Notifications are information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with eight people who lived at the home, three relatives and a visiting healthcare professional. We spoke with 10 staff including the deputy manager, the hotel services manager, the chef, the activities co-ordinator, nursing staff, care staff and house-keeping staff.
We looked at care records for six people, including their assessments, care plans and risk assessments. We checked six staff recruitment files, the management of medicines, health and safety records and quality monitoring systems.
After the inspection
The deputy manager sent us additional evidence via email.
Updated
22 July 2021
Home of Compassion is a care home with nursing for a maximum of 78 older people, including people living with dementia. The service provides residential, nursing, palliative and respite care. There were 33 people living at the home at the time of our inspection, six of whom were receiving respite care.
People’s experience of using this service:
Staff understood their responsibilities in safeguarding people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns they had.
Incidents had been reported to CQC and the local authority where necessary, which ensured that adverse events were investigated and lessons learned.
Assessments had been carried out to identify any potential risks to people and measures put in place to mitigate these.
There were enough staff on each shift to keep people safe and meet their needs. People told us they did not have to wait when they needed support and did not feel rushed when staff provided their care.
Medicines were managed safely. The home was clean and hygienic and staff maintained effective systems of infection prevention and control (IPC).
Staff received an induction when they started work and had access to the training they needed for their roles. Staff were expected to achieve relevant qualifications and met regularly with their managers for supervision and appraisal.
People were supported to maintain good health and to access healthcare services when they needed them.
People enjoyed the food at the home and were encouraged to contribute to the menu. If people had needs around eating and drinking, care plans had been developed to ensure they maintained adequate nutrition and hydration.
People told us the home had a friendly atmosphere and said they got on well with the staff who supported them. Staff engaged positively with the people they supported during our inspection and treated them with kindness and respect.
People had opportunities to take part in a wide range of activities, which were planned to meet their needs and interests.
Communication amongst the staff team was effective, which helped ensure people received safe and effective care. Staff were well-supported by their managers and colleagues and felt valued for the work they did.
There were opportunities for people to give their views about the care they received and their feedback was listened to.
Staff and managers had developed effective working relationships with other professionals involved in people’s care and implemented any professional guidance effectively.
People’s care was designed and planned to meet 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; 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 16 April 2020) and there were multiple 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.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor intelligence 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.