Comforting Healthcare

Updated 29 October 2020

The inspection

This was a targeted inspection to check whether the provider had met the requirement action in relation to Regulation 17 (Good Governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

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

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the start of the inspection. This was because we wanted to make arrangements to speak with people who used the service prior to visiting the office location.

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. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff including the registered manager and care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care and medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 29 October 2020

About the service

Comforting Healthcare is a domiciliary care agency and provides care and support to people living in their own homes. Not everyone using the service receives a regulated activity; The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene, medicines and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection 12 people received the regulated activity 'personal care'.

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

Governance and performance management systems were not always effective. Surveys were used to engage with people, however, the information gathered was not analysed to make improvements to the service. The quality of information in people’s care plans varied and some records we looked at did not include information about individual risks.

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. However, the systems in the service did not support this practice. Decision specific mental capacity assessments had not always been not carried out to establish if people had the ability to make informed decisions. Best interest decisions had not been appropriately completed and recorded. We made a recommendation about this.

Staff had received training in the safe use of moving and handling aids and felt confident supporting people to move around safely. People received their medicines as prescribed from well-trained, competent staff.

People were kept safe from risk of harm and ill treatment and the registered manager understood their responsibility to report any safeguarding concerns to the local authority safeguarding team and CQC.

People and their relatives were involved in the assessment and care planning process to ensure the support they received was what they wanted. The provider engaged with advocacy services where necessary to support people to make decisions about their care.

People received kind and compassionate support. Staff supported people to be as independent as possible and maintained people’s privacy and dignity when proving care.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 25 June 2018 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date the service registered with us.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation to the management oversight of the service.

Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.