25 July 2017
During a routine inspection
Comfort Call Old Mill House provides ‘Extra Care Housing’. Extra Care Housing supports people to live independently in their own homes within a community setting. Old Mill House has 42 self-contained apartments, several lounges, a restaurant, laundry and a garden. The maintenance of the building and grounds is managed by Housing & Care 21. This is a not-for-profit organisation which manages a number of sheltered and extra care housing schemes on behalf of Oldham Council. Care and support services at Old Mill House are provided by a team of on-site care staff who are part of the ‘Comfort Call’ organisation. Day-to-day management of the building is carried out by a ‘court manager’. Overnight there is a concierge who looks after the building and responds to any emergency calls from people living there. Some of the people living at Old Mill House were not in receipt of care. However, at the time of our inspection 21 people living there were receiving care and support from the on-site care team.
At the time of our inspection there was a person who was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission to become the registered manager of the service. However, this process was not yet complete. 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 day-to-day management of the care team was carried out by a care coordinator, who was present at our inspection.
People who used the service and their relatives told us they felt safe with the service provided at Old Mill House. Staff had a good understanding of the procedures needed to keep vulnerable people safe and what action they should take in order to protect people in their care. Recruitment procedures were robust and ensured new staff were suitable to work with vulnerable adults.
All new staff received an induction. Staff received regular training which equipped them with the skills and knowledge required to care and support people. All staff received regular supervision to support them in their roles.
The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). Staff sought consent before undertaking care and support, offered choice and encouraged independence.
People were complimentary about the caring nature of the staff and told us they were always treated with dignity and respect. Care plans were person-centred and were reviewed regularly to ensure the information was relevant and up-to-date.
There was a complaints procedure for people to raise any concerns they may have.
Regular staff meetings were held to discuss issues around the service and provide feedback to staff. Weekly and monthly audits and checks ensured the quality of service was monitored.