This was the first inspection of Comfort Call – Kilbourn House since the service was registered in June 2016. The inspection took place on 7 March 2017 and was announced.

Comfort Call – Kilbourn House provides personal care to people who are tenants in Kilbourn House, an extra care housing scheme. The personal care is provided by an on-site domiciliary care team across the day and at night. At the time of the inspection 37 people were receiving the service.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

We found the service had established systems for protecting personal safety and safeguarding people against the risks of harm and abuse. Appropriate support was given, where required, in helping people to maintain their health and take prescribed medicines. We have made a recommendation that the auditing of medicines management be further improved to ensure it is more effective in identifying recording deficits.

All necessary pre-employment checks were conducted to ensure the suitability of new staff before they started working at the service. Sufficient staff were employed to provide people with safe and consistent care.

The staff team received a good level of training and support that enabled them to meet people’s care needs effectively. People were consulted about and gave consent to their care. Where needed, people were assisted to access health care services and supported in meeting their dietary requirements.

Staff were caring in their approach and had developed good relationships with people and their families. They respected people’s privacy and dignity and supported them to live as independently as possible. People and their representatives received information about the service and were involved in decisions about their care.

Care was provided flexibly and adapted to accommodate any changes in people’s needs. Individualised care plans were in place and each person’s care service was regularly reviewed. A range of activities and entertainment was offered to prevent people from becoming socially isolated.

The registered manager promoted an inclusive culture and provided leadership to the staff team. People’s feedback about their care experiences was routinely sought and no complaints had been made. The quality and safety of the service was continuously monitored to check that standards were maintained and improved.