Background to this inspection
Updated
12 February 2020
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 team consisted of one inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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
Comfort House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
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 unannounced.
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 authority and professionals who work with the service. We also contacted Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.
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.
During the inspection
We spoke with 11 people who used the service and gained the views of 10 relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, Head of Quality, a regional support manager, deputy manager, the administrator, kitchen staff, the activity coordinator and eight members of care staff.
We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medicines records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment, training and support. 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 registered manager to validate evidence found.
Updated
12 February 2020
About the service
Comfort House provides accommodation for up to 42 people with residential care needs. At the time of the inspection, 27 people were using the service. Some of the people were living with dementia.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and relatives had many positive comments about the service provided. They praised the care and kindness shown by staff. The home had a very welcoming and friendly atmosphere and staff morale was good.
Medicines were generally managed safely. However, we have made a recommendation about the storage of medicines.
People lived in a clean and tidy environment with staff following good infection control procedures. Some areas of the service needed an update, and this was planned to occur in the next six months. We have made a recommendation about this.
People’s care records and risk assessments were regularly reviewed to make sure their needs were met. A small number of gaps needed to be updated.
People told us they felt safe and were confident any concerns would be dealt with effectively. Staff had received suitable training, including to maintain people’s safety. There were robust recruitment procedures in place and enough staff to look after people, with call bells answered quickly. Staff received regular support and a suitable induction to the service.
People received a good range of food and drinks to meet their dietary needs, but the dining experience on the upper levels of the home were not as good as the ground floor. This was immediately addressed.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service upheld this practice.
A range of activities were in place and a new activity coordinator had been recently employed to further enhance this, particularly for people living with dementia.
The provider, registered manager and staff had worked hard to improve the way the service was run. There were systems in place to check the quality and safety of the service.
People and relatives said the registered manager was open and approachable. They were happy with the way the service was ran and felt included in this.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection (and update)
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 6 March 2019). The service has improved and is now rated good.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.