Comfort Zone Care Services Ltd

About the service

Comfort Zone Care Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support to people in their own homes. They were providing support to 104 people when the inspection started. This included 5 people living in supported living houses. Everyone who received support from Comfort Zone Care Services moved to other care providers on the day of inspection. By the end of the inspection day the service did not provide care and support to anyone.

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

We were unable to gather sufficient evidence to give the service a rating in any of the key questions.

During the inspection everyone who received support moved to other care providers. This meant we could not gather feedback from people or their relatives. We could also not gather feedback from staff.

The registered manager and providers were not present during the inspection due to an ongoing police investigation. We were able to review some care records and staff files, but we could not gather all of the information we required.

We could not fully assess whether people received care which was safe, effective, caring and responsive.

We could not make a judgement about the running and management oversight of the service.

We could not examine whether the provision of care and support to anyone who has a learning disability or is autistic was in line with the expectations of the 'Right support, right care, right culture' guidance.

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 22 February 2018).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted due to concerns received from the local authority and police about modern day slavery. For example, poor working conditions and exploitation of some care staff recruited from overseas. There is an ongoing police investigation into these concerns.

On the day of the inspection the local authority cancelled their contract with the provider with immediate effect. Everyone who received support from Comfort Zone Care Services began to receive their care and support from other home care agencies. This included people who paid privately for their support.

The overall rating for the service has changed from ‘Good’ to ‘Insufficient evidence to rate’ based on the findings of this inspection. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘All inspection reports and timeline’ link for Comfort Zone Care Services on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service.

Comfort Zone Care Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults, some of whom may be living with dementia, disabilities, and chronic health conditions. At the time of the inspection, 16 people were being supported by the service.

People were safe because there were effective risk assessments in place, and systems to keep them safe from abuse or avoidable harm. There was sufficient numbers of staff to support people safely. Staff took appropriate precautions to ensure people were protected from the risk of acquired infections. People’s medicines were managed safely, and there was evidence of learning from incidents.

People’s needs had been assessed and they had care plans that took account of their individual needs, preferences, and choices. Staff had regular supervision and they had been trained to meet people’s individual needs effectively. The requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were being met, and staff understood their roles and responsibilities to seek people’s consent prior to care and support being provided. Where required, people had been supported to have enough to eat and drink to maintain their health and wellbeing. They were also supported to access healthcare services if required.

People were supported by caring, friendly and respectful staff. They were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, and the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff regularly reviewed the care provided to people with their input to ensure that this continued to meet their individual needs, in a person centred way. The provider had an effective system to handle complaints and concerns. Where people were able to remain in their own homes, staff ensured that they remained comfortable, dignified and pain-free at the end of their lives.

The service was well managed and the provider’s quality monitoring processes had been used effectively to drive continuous improvements. The registered manager provided stable leadership and effective support to the staff. They worked well with staff to promote a caring and inclusive culture within the service. Collaborative working with people and their relatives resulted in positive care outcomes for people using the service. Everyone's feedback was extremely positive about the quality of the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.