‘Compassionate’ Bromley care agency failing to fully live up to its name, says report

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

A Bromley care agency has been rated ‘inadequate’ with one staff member’s only guidance in the event of a resident having an epileptic episode was to ‘give them a biscuit.’

Compassionate Home Care Limited has received the worst possible rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) after a recent inspection.

The inspector said in their report that people using the home care service, based in Orpington, were not always safe and protected from risks of harm. They added that one staff member had only seen someone’s care plan once seven years ago and had not read it since.

The report said: “There was no epilepsy protocol or guidance in place for staff on what they should do if a person had a seizure. One staff member we spoke to said: ‘I think [one person] has epilepsy but haven’t seen any information about this. [The person] tells me when they have had an epileptic turn, I give [the person] a biscuit.’”

The service was also criticised for not reporting incidents to safeguarding authorities in an appropriate manner. The report said that while there was no evidence people had been harmed, the provider had failed to ensure robust systems were in place to show safety was being effectively managed.

The inspector added: “Whilst accidents in relation to a pattern of unexplained bruising or a fracture were recorded, they were not investigated or followed up to ensure that it was not caused by potential abuse or improper handling.

“The registered manager and some staff did not demonstrate an understanding of why a pattern of unexplained bruising, or a fracture could indicate abuse.”

Despite the criticisms, people using the service and their relatives told inspectors that they felt safe. They said staff always wore personal protective equipment to protect residents from risks of infection.

The report added: “Other people’s feedback was positive, where they were treated with kindness and care and their independence was promoted. For example, ‘[Staff] are very caring and helpful.’ and ‘[Staff] do encourage me to stay independent.’

The service provides personal care to people living in their own homes and was cited as having 42 people using it at the time of the inspection. The most recent rating means the agency has been put in special measures and will be re-inspected within six months to check for improvements.

The CQC has said that a quality review is currently being carried out at the service. Compassionate Home Care Limited was approached, but declined to comment.

Pictured top: Compassion Home Care Limited is based in Priory Buildings in Orpington. (Picture: Google Street View)