Comfort House

Medicines were generally managed safely. However, we have made a recommendation about the storage of medicines.

People lived in a clean and tidy environment with staff following good infection control procedures. Some areas of the service needed an update, and this was planned to occur in the next six months. We have made a recommendation about this.

People's care records and risk assessments were regularly reviewed to make sure their needs were met. A small number of gaps needed to be updated.

People told us they felt safe and were confident any concerns would be dealt with effectively. Staff had received suitable training, including to maintain people's safety. There were robust recruitment procedures in place and enough staff to look after people, with call bells answered quickly. Staff received regular support and a suitable induction to the service.

People received a good range of food and drinks to meet their dietary needs, but the dining experience on the upper levels of the home were not as good as the ground floor. This was immediately addressed.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service upheld this practice.

A range of activities were in place and a new activity coordinator had been recently employed to further enhance this, particularly for people living with dementia.

The provider, registered manager and staff had worked hard to improve the way the service was run. There were systems in place to check the quality and safety of the service.

People and relatives said the registered manager was open and approachable. They were happy with the way the service was ran and felt included in this.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk