Compkey Healthcare Ltd

Updated 9 April 2020

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. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. They were also the provider. This means they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. They will be referred to as the ‘provider’ throughout this report.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure the provider would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed the information we had received about the service since our last inspection. We sought feedback from the commissioners of the service for their opinion of the quality of care provided. This information helped us to plan this inspection.

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.

During the inspection

Inspection activity began on 2 March 2020 and ended on 4 March 2020. On 2 and 3 March 2020 we spoke with three people and two relatives over the telephone about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with five staff on the telephone. On 4 March 2020 we visited the office where we spoke with the assistant manager, quality assurance manager and the provider. We also received written feedback from one health and one social care professional.

We looked at various records including four people’s care and medication records, three staff recruitment and supervision records and other information regarding how the provider monitors the quality of care people receive.

Updated 9 April 2020

About the service

Compkey Healthcare Ltd is a homecare service providing personal care to people within their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection, 20 people were receiving personal care from the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Improvements had been made since the last inspection. People’s medicines were now managed safely, and they received them correctly. New staff had been subjected to the relevant checks to ensure they were of good character and safe to work for the service.

Staff had received training in various subjects relating to people's needs but their competency to ensure they understood this training had not always been adequately assessed. The provider had recognised the need to strengthen their assessments of staff competency and had already implemented some changes. However, further improvement was required to ensure staff understood all of the training they had received and therefore, we have made a recommendation in relation to staff training and supervision.

People received care that met their needs and preferences. They were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. However, some staff needed to improve their knowledge in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This was required to reduce the risk of people not receiving care in their best interests when they were unable to consent to it.

Risks to people’s safety had been assessed and staff knew how to support people to reduce these risks. However, people's records required more information to ensure staff had all the guidance they required to meet people’s specific risks. The provider agreed to immediately implement this. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and there were enough staff to cover people’s care visits in line with their needs and preferences. Staff took precautions to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. Lessons had been learnt when things had gone wrong to improve the quality of care people received.

People received enough to eat and drink in line with their needs and were supported with their healthcare needs if required. The service worked well with other professionals to ensure people received effective care.

Staff were kind, caring and compassionate. They respected people’s privacy and treated them with dignity. People’s independence was encouraged, and an open culture had been developed within the service, where they could freely express their views when they wished to without fear.

Complaints and concerns were welcomed by the provider as an opportunity to learn. These were fully investigated, and people were involved in this process. People’s end of life wishes had been captured where they had wished to give this information, and staff worked with other professionals to ensure people’s wishes at this time were respected.

The provider had made improvements to their governance processes. The care provided to people was closely monitored and incidents or errors quickly identified and rectified. These revised governance processes need to be embedded within the service to ensure they remain effective. The provider demonstrated an appetite to continually improve the quality of care people received and was accepting of our findings of areas for improvement.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (published 9 September 2019). At that inspection we found three breaches of regulation. This was because the provider had not ensured people’s medicines were managed safely or their recruitment and governance processes were robust. Following that inspection, we imposed a condition on the provider’s registration telling them they had to send us a monthly report in relation to the monitoring of the quality of care people received. This condition was complied with and is in the process of being removed from the provider's registration.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations. The service remains rated requires improvement. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last two consecutive inspections.

This service has been in Special Measures since 28 December 2018. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information 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.