Comfort Call Sheffield

Updated 2 October 2019

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

This inspection was completed by one inspector, one assistant 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

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

The service had a manager registered with CQC. 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 inspection. This was because it is a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 12 September 2019 and ended on 16 September 2019. We visited the office location on 16 September 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 24 people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, a regional manager, the regional director and four care workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 2 October 2019

About the service

Comfort Call Sheffield is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people with a range of support needs, living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection, the service was providing care and support to 234 people.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do receive personal care, we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People felt safe when receiving care from Comfort Call Sheffield. Risks to people were assessed and minimised, and people were protected from abuse. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. People were mostly supported by a small number of regular care workers, who arrived at the right times. People received their medicines, as prescribed, from staff who were trained to provide this support safely. People were protected from the spread of infection.

People were supported by staff who were competent and skilled. Staff asked people for their consent before providing them with any care. 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. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff supported people to maintain their health, and they referred people to community health professionals when necessary.

People told us staff were kind, friendly and caring. People said they felt well-treated by staff. Staff supported people to maintain their independence and to remain involved in decisions about their care. People's privacy was respected.

People knew how to complain about the service if they needed to. Complaints had been appropriately investigated and responded to by the provider. People’s communication needs were assessed, and their care records contained information which supported staff to communicate with people effectively. People’s care records were personalised. This supported staff to get to know people and provide care in accordance with their preferences.

Staff told us the registered manager was supportive and operated an 'open-door' policy. The registered manager and staff were keen to deliver a high-quality, person-centred service. The registered manager completed a range of checks on the safety and quality of the service on an ongoing basis, to ensure any necessary improvements were identified and implemented. People had opportunity to give feedback about the service at regular intervals.

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 15 March 2017).

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.