We carried out a review of the data available to us about Comfort Call - Kilbourn House on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Comfort Call - Kilbourn House, you can give feedback on this 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.
Comfort Call – Kilbourn House is an extra care scheme providing care and support to older people living in their own flats in one larger building. There were 36 people in receipt of personal care at the time of inspection.
People’s experience of using this service
People felt safe in a secure environment they had settled in. Staff were knowledgeable about the risks people could face and the action they would take if abuse was suspected.
Staff were well trained and well supported through regular themed supervisions and appraisals.
Continuity of care remained strong, with a low turnover of staff. The nature of the service meant there was little chance of missed calls or unexpected staff providing care and support. Rota planning was effective and arrangements were in place to prevent delays and missed calls. People confirmed staff were never late and stayed for the appropriate amount of time.
People were respected and treated with dignity by staff who knew them well.
Care plans were sufficiently detailed, person-centred, and with input from external health and social care professionals. People were involved in their care planning and review.
The service enabled independence in that it bridged a gap between people living on their own at home and people moving to a residential care service. Most people felt the service did this well. Some people felt the service was missing opportunities to strengthen community links, engagement and activities.
We have made a recommendation about this.
The service was well-led and there were clear lines of accountability in place for when the registered manager was away. Staff felt supported and confirmed the culture was one in which they could raise concerns or suggestions.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Audits at a local level, regionally and by the provider’s national quality assurance team helped ensure quality standards were maintained and people remained safe.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
Good (last report published 11 May 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.
Comfort Call – Kilbourn House provides personal care to people who are tenants in Kilbourn House, an extra care housing scheme. The personal care is provided by an on-site domiciliary care team across the day and at night. At the time of the inspection 37 people were receiving the service.
The service had a registered manager. 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.
We found the service had established systems for protecting personal safety and safeguarding people against the risks of harm and abuse. Appropriate support was given, where required, in helping people to maintain their health and take prescribed medicines. We have made a recommendation that the auditing of medicines management be further improved to ensure it is more effective in identifying recording deficits.
All necessary pre-employment checks were conducted to ensure the suitability of new staff before they started working at the service. Sufficient staff were employed to provide people with safe and consistent care.
The staff team received a good level of training and support that enabled them to meet people’s care needs effectively. People were consulted about and gave consent to their care. Where needed, people were assisted to access health care services and supported in meeting their dietary requirements.
Staff were caring in their approach and had developed good relationships with people and their families. They respected people’s privacy and dignity and supported them to live as independently as possible. People and their representatives received information about the service and were involved in decisions about their care.
Care was provided flexibly and adapted to accommodate any changes in people’s needs. Individualised care plans were in place and each person’s care service was regularly reviewed. A range of activities and entertainment was offered to prevent people from becoming socially isolated.
The registered manager promoted an inclusive culture and provided leadership to the staff team. People’s feedback about their care experiences was routinely sought and no complaints had been made. The quality and safety of the service was continuously monitored to check that standards were maintained and improved.