Compton View Residential Care Home

We found the following examples of good practice.

The provider had not had any COVID-19 outbreaks in the home. Staff told us the registered manager was very good at reminding them about hygiene.

When staff came on shift, they recorded their temperatures, sanitised their hands and put on personal protective equipment, (PPE) before entering the building. Staff entered through the front door but then walked through the building to a room upstairs to change their clothes. We discussed this with the registered manager who said staff could instead use the room they had allocated for COVID-19 testing as this was on the ground floor and had a separate entrance. This was implemented immediately to further reduce the risk of cross infection

Staff had good knowledge of infection prevention control (IPC). All staff had received IPC training, including how to safely put on and take off PPE such as gloves, aprons, and face masks. A staff member said, “We watched the videos and (Registered manager’s name) also shows us.” We saw several posters around the home with reminders of how to maintain good infection control processes.

The home was clean and tidy. The provider employed a housekeeper for 16 hours a week to provide cleaning duties. Night staff had a cleaning schedule to follow and care staff cleaned at weekends. There was a comprehensive cleaning schedule which included disinfecting touch points several times a day.

We saw staff wearing appropriate PPE. When changing their PPE between rooms staff removed it inside the room and placed it in a yellow bag in the person’s room. Staff then put on fresh PPE when they came out of the room. Not all rooms had foot operated bins to dispose of clinical waste. We discussed this with the registered manager who agreed to place foot operated waste bins in each bedroom for staff to remove and dispose of their PPE. This will further reduce the risk cross contamination.

During the recent lockdown the provider had stopped all visitors coming into the home. One staff member told us, “We used video calls and people have their own mobiles, and some people have phones in their rooms.” The registered manager described how they kept families informed through social media.

The provider’s visitors policy was clear and in line with national guidance. Visitors were required to follow the service’s infection control procedures. Visits were encouraged, the home had set aside a conservatory for visits to take place safely.

The home was split into two floors. The registered manager explained if someone tested positive for COVID-19 they would isolate in their room and staff would be allocated to that person.

There was a contingency plan in place in the event of an emergency which included how to manage a fire during the pandemic. At the time of this inspection every staff member and resident continued to test negative in the home. The registered manager said they had support from Public Health England and the local commissioning teams and had been guided by their advice.

The provider continued to admit people to the home, during the pandemic three people had moved in. The registered manager told us no one would be admitted without a negative test first and some of their belongings would go into isolation for 72 hours prior to the person moving in. Once people came in, they were isolated in their rooms for 14 days. The provider’s admissions policy confirmed this was the correct process for the home.

The registered manager ensured regular testing was carried out, weekly for staff and monthly for people living in the home. This was in line with COVID-19 testing guidance. However, whilst people did not refuse to be tested, the registered manager had not recorded consent in line with the Mental Capacity Act. We discussed this with the registered manager who assured us they would review this and ensure all care records are updated.

Compton View Residential Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The home is an adapted building with separate lounge and dining area with conservatory and gardens. The home is over two floors with lift access to the first floor, some rooms on the ground floor have direct access to the garden and patio areas.

Compton View provides care for up to a maximum 18 people. At the time of our inspection, 15 people were living at the service.

Improvements were needed in some areas of medicines management and administering specifically around records. However, since the inspection the areas we identified for improvement had been addressed.

At the time of our inspection there were no quality assurance audits looking at areas such as medicines, care planning and the environment. Since the inspection the registered manager and provider an improvement plan had been completed for this quality assurance monitoring to take place.

People spoke of how they felt safe living in the home. They were very positive about the staffing of the home and the skills and understanding staff had of their care needs. One person told us, "I feel safe living here and know the staff are around when I need them." Another person spoke of staff and "They all know what to do, I feel confident they are well trained as far as I can see."

Staff were confident about raising any concerns about the safety and welfare of people and action being taken to address their concerns.

Staffing of the home had improved over the past year with increased staffing in the mornings and at night. People said how there were always staff around and very responsive when they required support and assistance. One person told us, "I ring my bell and it is not long before they come and see what I need, couldn't ask for more."

The service was responsive to people's changing care needs and had good arrangements for getting support from outside professionals such as community nurses and dieticians. One person told us, "They looked after me really well when I was not well." A relative told us, "They are working well with the GP to improve their wellbeing."

There were regular activities and people said how much activities had improved with the new registered manager and owner. One person said, "There is a lot going on from musicians to craft, I like the choices." Another person said, "There's plenty to do if you want." A relative told us, "The activities are very innovative for instance at Easter they had an incubator and hatched eggs."

Staff were very positive about the culture of the home being one of openness and listening to people and staff. People spoke of an approachable manager, "Always around to talk about anything you want, very approachable."

The provider and registered manager were actively promoting a culture where people could be confident of receiving quality care which met their needs. They recognised the importance of having skilled and trained staff in providing consistent care to people living in the home.

The service had received a number of positive comments in response to sending a questionnaire to people and visitors in the home. Comments received included the following:

"The care provided at Compton View is geared entirely to the welfare, comfort and health of the residents. All the staff are very friendly but still extremely professional. Residents are part of a little community but have as much privacy and personal space as they want."

"I am thoroughly impressed by the wonderful atmosphere that exists at Compton View. It is evident this is achieved through the painstaking care provided by staff. If I needed residential care then this is where I would like to reside."