Archived: Millfield Care Home

Updated 15 August 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 12 and 13 July 2017. The first day of the inspection was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of two adult care inspectors and on the second day of the inspection, 13 July 2017, a pharmacist 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. The expert by experience had experience of caring for elderly people and people who were living with dementia.

Prior to the inspection we looked at the previous inspection report and information we held about the service, including notifications the provider had sent to us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. We also contacted a number of professionals who were responsible for organising and commissioning the service on behalf of individuals and their families. The professionals told us they had no concerns about the service.

As some of the people living at Millfield Care Home were not able to tell us about their experiences, we undertook a Short Observation Framework for Inspection (SOFI) observation. A SOFI is a specific way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who are not able to talk with us.

During the inspection we spoke with 18 people who used the service, three visitors, the regional director, the registered manager, the clinical services manager, four registered nurses, three care assistants, the administrator, the chef, the activities organiser and the domestic supervisor.

We looked around all the units in the home, looked at food provision, four people's care records,12 medicine administration records and the medicine management system, three staff recruitment files, training records and records about the management of the home.

Updated 15 August 2017

We inspected Millfield Care Home on 12 and 13 July 2017. The first day of the inspection was unannounced. There were 61 people using the service at the time of the inspection. We last inspected Millfield Care Home on 12 December 2016 when we found two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The breaches were in relation to the inaccurate recording of medicines and an unsatisfactory recruitment system. Following the inspection the provider sent us as action plan informing us of what action they had taken to put things right.

During this inspection we found the provider was meeting all the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Millfield Care Home is a purpose built home which is registered to provide accommodation for up to 92 people who require nursing and personal care. Millfield Care Home is situated on a main road in Heywood, close to public transport networks, local shops and facilities. The home operates with three units; On the ground floor there is the Wham Bar Unit that provides nursing care for younger adults. On the first floor there is Summit Unit that provides mainly general nursing care and Hopwood Unit that provides personal care. There is a fourth unit on the ground floor that is not in use.

The home had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) who was present on the day of the inspection. 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 that suitable arrangements were in place to help safeguard people from abuse. Staff knew what to do if an allegation of abuse was made to them or if they suspected that abuse had occurred. Staff were able to demonstrate their understanding of the whistle blowing procedures (the reporting of unsafe and/or poor practice).

We found people were cared for by sufficient numbers of suitably skilled and experienced staff who were safely recruited. Staff received the essential training and support necessary to enable them to do their job effectively and care for people safely.

The medication system was safe and we saw how the staff worked in cooperation with other healthcare professionals to ensure that people received appropriate care and treatment.

Procedures were in place to prevent and control the spread of infection and risk assessments were in place for the safety of the premises. All areas of the home were secure, clean, well maintained and accessible for people with limited mobility; making it a safe environment for people to live and work in.

We saw that appropriate environmental risk assessments had been completed in order to promote the safety of people who used the service, members of staff and visitors. Systems were in place for carrying out regular health and safety checks and equipment was serviced and maintained regularly.

Procedures were in place to deal with any emergency that could affect the provision of care, such as a failure of the electricity and water supply.

People told us they received the care they needed when they needed it. They told us they considered staff were kind, had a caring attitude and felt they had the right skills and knowledge to care for them safely and properly. We saw that staff treated people with dignity, respect and patience.

Specialised training was provided to help ensure that staff were able to care for people who were very ill and needed end of life care.

We saw people looked well cared for and there was enough equipment available to ensure people's safety, comfort and independence were protected. People's care records contained enough information to guide staff on the care and support required. The records showed that risks to people's health and well-being had been identified and plans were in place to help reduce or eliminate the risk. We saw that people were involved and consulted about the development of their care plans.

Staff were also able to demonstrate their understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS); these provide legal safeguards for people who may be unable to make their own decisions.

People were provided with a choice of suitable and nutritious food and drink to ensure their health care needs were met. Some people however, did comment that the meals were at times monotonous. The registered manager told us that this would be looked into. We saw that food stocks were good and there was always a choice of meal.

To help ensure that people received safe and effective care, systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. Regular checks were undertaken on all aspects of the running of the home and there were opportunities, such as resident/relative meetings and satisfaction surveys for people to comment on the facilities of the service and the quality of the care provided.