Comfort Call - Kilbourn House

Updated 10 July 2021

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 site visit was carried out by one inspector. An inspector and two Experts-by-Experience supported the inspection remotely. An Expert-by-Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in Extra Care Housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced.

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it was a large service operating during the pandemic and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 12 May 2021 and ended on 18 June 2021. A site visit to the office took place on 18 June 2021.

Inspection activity took place off site between 12 May 2021 and 17 June 2021. A site visit to Dewley House took place on 18 June 2021. We made telephone calls to people, relatives and staff on 19, 20, 26, 27 May and 14 and 15 June 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authorities who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We communicated with 15 people who used the service and 16 relatives about their experience of the care provided. Not everyone who used the service communicated verbally or wished to speak on the telephone, therefore they gave us permission to speak with their relative. We spoke with nine members of staff including the registered manager, two team leaders and six support workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at six staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 10 July 2021

About the service

Comfort Call Kilbourn House and Dewley House provide personal care in two extra care housing schemes to people who live in their own flats. People are under and over the age of 65 years. At the time of inspection 77 people were using the service. The service can support up to 85 people.

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.

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

People said they felt safe with the service provided. Staff knew about safeguarding procedures. Safe recruitment processes were in place. Staff worked well with other agencies to ensure people received care and support.

All people and relatives were complimentary about the care provided by care staff. They trusted the care workers who supported them. They said staff were kind, caring and supportive of people and their families. One person commented, “Staff are very caring. They spend time talking to me, they are lovely.”

People received person-centred care from the care workers. Records were detailed and provided guidance to ensure people received person-centred care and support from all staff members.

People and staff said communication was effective. There were opportunities for people, relatives and staff to give their views about the service.

We were assured that the provider was monitoring the use of PPE for effectiveness and people’s safely.

Systems were in place to manage medicines safely where support was required.

A quality assurance system was in place to assess the standards of care in the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 28 November 2019).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to people’s care and staffing. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, caring and well-led only.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns. Please see the safe, caring and well-led sections of this report.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has remained the same. This is based on the findings at this inspection

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Comfort Call Kilbourn House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.