The inspection visit at Home Comfort was undertaken on 08 and 09 August 2018 and was announced. We gave 48 hours’ notice of the inspection to ensure people who used the service, staff and visitors were available to talk with us.

Home Comfort provides personal care assistance for people who live in their own homes. The office is based in a residential area of Lytham St Annes.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older people who live with dementia, physical disability or a sensory impairment.

A registered manager was in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

Home Comfort registered as a new service on 11 May 2017. Consequently, this was their first inspection.

During this inspection, people and relatives told us they felt safe whilst using the service. Staff understood the importance of people’s safety and security. One staff member said, “When I see the clients are safe and happy to see me, its lovely. That’s where I get my reward from.” Staff files we saw confirmed staff had safeguarding training to protect people from poor care or abuse.

Staff records contained required documentation of their recruitment to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable adults. We found staffing levels were sufficient and the service consistently deployed staff to meet people’s needs. A relative commented, “My [relative] has a small team of five and they have quickly established good relationships.”

Care records contained risk assessments to guide staff about protecting people from unsafe care in their own homes. The provider was clear about what action to take should an accident occur during the delivery of care.

When we visited a person in their own home we found medication was stored safely. We observed staff checked stock and dispensed medication in line with national guidelines. Care records covered the person’s support needs and control measures to minimise associated risks.

Staff stated they had guidance to carry out their duties confidently and effectively. People said they found their staff team were experienced. A relative stated, “I’m reassured the staff know what they are doing.”

People’s care plans contained relevant information about assisting them with meal preparation. These were detailed to guide staff about the person’s nutritional needs and how to support them. A person who used the service told us, “They cook me nice meals, the carers are very good at that.”

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Care files we looked at contained people’s recorded consent to care and support.

We observed staff had a caring approach and people we spoke with said they were respectful during care delivery. Information in care plans consistently referred to people’s dignity and respect.

Records focused on the maintenance of their independence. A person who used Home Comfort said, “They recognise my independence is important and do what they can to help me progress.”

People told us their care was personalised to their individual needs. They said this was because staff had developed good relationships with them and taken time to get to know them. A relative told us, “Home Comfort reassured me they would be able to provide everything [my relative] needs and they have not failed to deliver. It has restored my faith in these sort of services.”

We found the management team had good oversight of care delivery through quality assurance systems. We