Archived: Compassionate Care Team Limited

Compassionate Care Team is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care and support to people to enable them to live independently in their own home. At the time of inspection 94 people were receiving personal care from the service.

The service has a registered manager. A registered manager 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.

Where required, people received the support they needed to manage their medicines, although the records used did not always detail the individual medicines people took.There were enough staff to ensure that people received their calls and meet their care needs, but calls maybe cut short if staff deployment had to be altered at short notice.

Staff took the necessary steps to keep people safe and understood their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of abuse. Potential hazards were identified and detailed plans were in place to enable staff to support people safely.

Staff were provided with the knowledge and skills to care for people effectively although training was not always updated in a timely way. People received the support they required to have enough to eat and drink. People were also provided with the support they needed to enable them to have access to their GP and other health care professionals when they need them.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the use of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) The provider was aware of the principles of the MCA and how this might affect the care they provided to people. People’s consent was sought before care was provided by staff when they visited.

Positive and caring relationships had been developed between staff and people who used the service. People were involved in the planning and reviewing of their care and making decisions about what care they wanted. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff who understood the importance of this.

People’s care plans provided information about their basic care needs, but did not always contain such detailed information about any specific medical conditions people may have and the implications of this for the support being provided. Communication structures were in place, but these did not always work effectively meaning that staff had sometimes arrived at people's home without having been given all of the information they needed. People felt able to make a complaint and knew how to do so.

The culture of the service was open and the registered manager was working on better ways to discuss issues and deliver clear and consistent messages to the staff team. However, people were supported by staff who were clear about what was expected of them and staff had confidence that they would get the support they needed from the registered manager. The registered manager undertook audits and observed practice to ensure that the care provided met people’s needs.

Five personnel files we reviewed demonstrated that appropriate checks were undertaken before staff begun their job to ensure people who used the service were supported by the appropriate people.

We found that the provider had sufficient staff with the necessary skills and experience to provide care and support to people safely and at the times that suited people who used the service.

We saw records that confirmed the provider had an effective system in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. People we spoke with confirmed that they were asked for their feedback of the service they received.

We found people gave consent to their care and treatment and received care and support that met their needs. A person who used the service told us, 'The manager came round and went through it (the care plan) with me. We have changed it a couple of times, they keep me involved when they do that.'

We found people were safeguarded from abuse. A person who used the service told us, 'I am happy with them and they have never made me feel I cannot trust them.' A relative told us, 'When I am out I don't worry at all.'

We found the staff team were supported through training and the provider assessed and monitored the quality of the service. . A relative told us, 'I think they are experienced workers and look after my husband well. They ask if I am alright, they are very good with me as well.'