Comfort Care At Home

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to outstanding. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently better than expected compared to similar services. People’s feedback described it as exceptional and distinctive.

This service scored 88 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by thoroughly assessing and reviewing their wellbeing, health and care needs with them. People’s prescribed medicines were assessed by the service to make sure these were appropriate for people. This resulted in the service identifying a number of prescribing errors which they brought to the attention of the relevant healthcare professionals, making sure people had the right medicines they needed. The management team had also challenged partnership agencies where they identified that people’s health was not appropriately assessed. This was in relation to a person being misdiagnosed potentially with a life-threatening condition. As well, the service persisted in requests to the relevant healthcare professionals to prioritise a reassessment of another person’s mobility needs which led to them receiving the necessary reablement and occupational therapist’s care. This resulted in a reduction in care visits because of the significant improvements made to the mobility and independence by the person.

We did not look at Delivering evidence-based care and treatment during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at How staff, teams and services work together during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

The provider always supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to fully maximise their independence, choice and control. Comments made by family members included, “A highly professional service provided by an excellent team. Communication with the family is first class and the agency acts with real care and concern. We are also greatly assisted by the agency liaising with healthcare providers. Overall, an excellent standard of care” and “The service provided by Comfort Care At Home is exceptional - well-organised, very caring, proactive and professional. I’ve been particularly impressed by their attention to detail and ability to leverage other services quickly to ensure the best care. Really couldn’t ask for more. Highly recommend.” The service had continuously worked in collaboration with the healthcare professionals making sure they supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support. This included filming the exercises being suggested by a physiotherapist so that staff could use the step-by-step video guide to consistently encourage a person to exercise daily. The staff team were innovative in the way they developed different strategies to encourage people’s mobility and cognitive engagement in activities. They used self-built games and pursuits that interested people such as pictures of the roses in a person’s garden that they were not able to see.

The provider monitored all people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they fully met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves. Comfort Care At Home had considered risks related to climate change such as heat waves and cold weather which they mitigated by purposely chosen gifts. For example, they gifted people blankets and personalised water bottles to help them stay warm and hydrated. The service applied a holistic approach in the way they supported people to live a full life which took into account their emotional wellbeing. People were referred to a charity organisation for having a weekly phone chat if the staff team noticed a person feeling lonely or requiring help to build relationships. Staff looked for different solutions aiming to help people to overcome their anxieties and they helped a person to access an alternative facility for showers that was very important to them.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. Staff knew what the MCA was in relation to, and how to apply it in practice. Family members’ comments included, “[Staff] respect [my relative’s] dignity all the time and explain how and what they are doing to make it easier for him to understand what is happening.” Staff said, “We take clients wishes and choices into consideration at all times and we don't assume they don’t have the capacity until it's proven that they don’t.” Processes were in place and followed to assess people’s capacity for making decisions where this was necessary.