Comfort Call - Cheltenham

Updated 7 March 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 22, 23, 25 January and 1 February 2018 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the registered manager is often out of the office. We needed to be sure that they would be in. This was the first inspection of the service.

Inspection site visit activity started on 22 January 2018 and ended on 1 February 2018. It included talking to people using the service and their relatives, examination of records relating to their care and support. We visited the office location on 22, 23 January and 1 February 2018 to see the manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures. We visited two people who used the service and spoke with them and their relatives. In addition we spoke with three people and three relatives on the telephone.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information we have about the service including notifications. A notification is a report about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

Updated 7 March 2018

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of our inspection it was providing a service to 100 older adults and younger disabled adults. This was the first inspection of the service.

Not everyone using Comfort Call - Cheltenham receives the regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

Comfort Call – Cheltenham had a registered manager in post. 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.

Comfort Call – Cheltenham had significantly increased the number of people receiving personal care and the numbers of staff employed in the past six months in response to local commissioning arrangements. The provider told us changes to the way the service operated had to be made at short notice. We found the service had effectively managed the transition of people's care arrangements as well as the transfer of staff during this period of change.

The registered manager had plans in place to improve the timeliness of some people’s calls and was aware that improvements were needed to how information was sent to people about times of visits and the staff allocated to them. However further improvement was needed to ensure people were always told when staff would be arriving late for a visit.

We made a recommendation about how information about visits was communicated to people.

People were protected from harm and abuse through the knowledge of staff and management. Risks to people's safety were identified, assessed and appropriate action was taken to keep people safe.

People were treated with respect and kindness. Their privacy and dignity was upheld and they were supported to maintain their independence.

People were supported by staff who had training and support to maintain their skills and knowledge to meet their needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support the in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People received personalised care from staff who knew their needs and preferences. People were involved in the planning and review of their care and support. There were arrangements in place to respond to concerns or complaints from people using the service and their representatives. Care was provided for people at the end of their life.

Quality assurance systems were in operation with the aim of improving the service in response to people's needs. A survey had been completed to gain the views of people about the service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.