20 November 2019
During a routine inspection
About the service
Mill House is a care home registered to provide care for up to 43 people. At the time of our visit there were 33 elderly people living at the service, all of whom required nursing and personal care. The accommodation was arranged on two floors of the service’s building.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Activities were provided by a passionate and experienced activity team. A wide variety of relevant and meaningful activities was offered both inside and outside of the service. Staff were creative in how they engaged people in the activities and prevented people from feeling isolated. The service went the extra mile to find out what people had done in the past and evaluated whether activities could be accommodated in line with people's previous employment, interests and hobbies. People received exceptionally personalised and responsive service that was tailored to their needs and wishes. People were valued and placed at the heart of the service. Feedback from people and their relatives was exceptionally positive.
The provider valued their staff team and endeavoured to take steps to retain and develop staff to their full potential. They believed this was the key to delivering high quality, consistent care. People and relatives were delighted with the kindness and thoughtfulness of staff, which exceeded their expectations of how they would be cared for and supported. People explained how staff went over and above what they expected from them and they couldn't ask for anything more. People told us the support they received improved their well-being
People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff were trained in recognising and reporting any concerns. There were suitable numbers of appropriately recruited staff. Medicines were safely stored and administered.
People received care and treatment from competent and skilled staff who had the relevant knowledge to meet people's needs. The provider had a system to ensure all staff had regular training to keep them up to date with best practice. Training courses and events were relevant to the needs of the people living at the service and staff ensured they put learning into practice.
People had access to food and drinks throughout the day and the meals were individualised to suit people's tastes and needs. People told us the food was very good and there was plenty of choice. Meals were appetising and served in a calm and organised manner, creating a sociable and pleasant meal experience.
People's care needs were identified and assessed before they moved into the home to enable staff to know and understand how people wanted to be supported. Risk management plans were in place to protect people from harm and to support them to remain independent. People were supported to access healthcare services as staff recognised changes in people's health, and sought professional advice appropriately.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service promoted this practice.
Staff interacted with people at their pace, were unrushed and we observed lots of positive interaction between staff and people living at Mill House. People were treated with dignity and respect by staff who understood the importance of this.
The service established relationships with and worked with local groups, including schools and colleges, to improve the experience and understanding of people living with dementia.
The registered manager and staff team all had a very good understanding of their roles and were empowered to make suggestions to keep improving the care. The provider's quality assurance processes were effective and there was a focus on continuous improvement and continuously seeking out ways to offer personalised care. The registered manager continued to build on the culture of openness and transparency. Staff were proud of the service and felt well supported by the registered manager and the provider.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection (and update)
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 23 November 2018) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
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.