Compass Care South Park 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 provider also operates a domiciliary care service for people who live in the Bradford area.

Compass Care South Park provides accommodation and personal care for up to 10 people with learning disabilities. The accommodation is based in two adjoining dormer bungalows close to Huddersfield town centre. There were 10 people living there at the time of the inspection. The domiciliary care service offers care to people who live in the Bradford area and there were three people using this service.

The last inspection was in September 2015 and the service was rated ‘good’ at that time. At this inspection we found there were two breaches of the regulations, in relation to people’s safe care and treatment, and good governance.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Staff knew how to identify and report any concerns and risk management plans for individuals were detailed. However, we had concerns about the premises and some equipment; some aspects were in need of attention to ensure infection prevention measures were adequate and for people’s safety.

Staff were well supported through regular training and supervision, and there was effective teamwork and communication to meet people’s needs.

People said they enjoyed the meals, but the mealtime experience needed to be improved for people. People had individual choices, although there was limited opportunity for mealtimes to be a sociable occasion.

Staff respected people’s rights, wishes and choices and there was consultation with people about their care and support. Staff understood the legislation regarding people’s mental capacity and human rights.

People were treated with respect and staff were considerate about people’s dignity and privacy.

Care records were person centred and shared with people where possible. There was evidence of some activities, although these were not always purposeful for people when indoors. One person spent long periods in their chair and some people sat passively with nothing to do.

The service had a very visible management team who knew people well and were actively involved in their care alongside support staff. Audits of quality were in place although these were not all robust enough to identify some areas highlighted at the inspection.

There were breaches of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, regulations 12, safe care and treatment and 17, good governance.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

During our inspection we spoke with four people who used the service and, as we were not familiar with their way of communicating, we were not able to gain everyone’s views. However, as we observed their care we saw that staff were very supportive and familiar with people’s ways of communicating.

People told us they were happy living at the home and they were looked after by the staff.

People told us that they had plenty to do, like visiting the day centre and going to organised social events.

People told us they felt safe, and liked living in the home. They said they were happy with the care they received and were able to make choices about their care with help from the staff.

We observed people being spoken to in a kind and friendly manner and care being delivered that respected their dignity by a staff group who understood their needs and preferences.

People told us they were happy living at the home and they were looked after by the staff.

People told us they always had things to do, for example; going for a walk, attending the exercise class, the social evening with the staff at the local pub, and they also said that they were looking forward to their holiday which was soon.

People told us they felt safe.

Feedback from the quality assurance surveys included;

“Staff are very welcoming, always keep people informed”.

People said the home was clean and tidy, very welcoming and homely. Another person said, “All the staff do well for everyone at the home and are good to everyone”. One person said that their relative was happy, always clean and nicely dressed and they had no outstanding concerns.

The inspection of Compass Care - South Park took place on 17 and 18 September 2015 and was announced. We previously inspected the service on 10 April 2013. The service was not in breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 regulations at that time.

Compass Care - South Park provides care and support for up to 10 adults who are living with a learning disability. On the days of our inspection eight people were being supported at the home.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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.

The person we spoke with told us they felt safe. The registered manager and the staff we spoke with were aware of their responsibilities in keeping people safe. A personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) in place for each person who lived at the home.

Staff and relatives did not express any concerns over staffing and we found staff had been recruited safely.

Medicines were stored and administered safely. Staff received training and their competency was assessed to reduce the risk of errors being made with people’s medicines.

The interactions between staff and people who lived at Compass Care – South Park were relaxed and friendly. Staff respected people’s right to privacy and encouraged people to make choices about their lives.

There was a system in place to ensure relevant information was passed between staff. Staff received training and management support and new staff were supported when they commenced employment.

Staff we spoke with understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how this impacted upon the people they supported.

People had access to external healthcare support as and when they needed it.

We could not evidence people participated in person centred activities on a regular basis. People’s care and support records were person centred and provided the detail required for staff to enable staff to provide appropriate care and support. We have made a recommendation about involving people in their care.

Relatives told us they would speak with the registered provider or registered manager in the event they had any concerns.

The registered provider and registered manager were visible within the home and were knowledgeable and understanding of people’s individual needs.

There was a quality assurance and governance system in place to drive continuous improvement. The registered manager planned to introduce further audits to ensure all aspects of people’s care and support were reviewed. There were regular meetings for staff and people who lived at the home.

You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.