29 November 2023
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Mill View is a purpose built care home providing residential care for up to 50 people across 2 floors. On day 1 of our inspection, 41 people were living in the home and on day 2, this number was 40.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
On day 1 of our inspection, we identified some staffing pressures which meant not all people had their care needs met in a timely way. On day 2, staffing levels increased and this improved. People told us there were enough staff to meet their needs in a timely way. Rotas showed shifts were fully covered. Recruitment practice was safe.
We have made a recommendation about reviewing people’s dependency levels as this did not accurately reflect the care needs of all people living in the home.
Hot water temperature checks in bedrooms and communal spaces had not been checked since July 2023. This was identified on day 2 of our inspection and immediately dealt with. Some lifting equipment needed for bathing was faulty and parts were on order. Risks to people were assessed, monitored and reviewed. Staff understood these risks and how to support people safely.
Some issues were identified regarding infection control on day 1 of our inspection. By day 2, these had largely been resolved and following the inspection, the registered manager advised of further action taken.
The management of medicines was safe. Some additional detail to PRN (for medicines given as required) protocols was added immediately following our inspection.
People and relatives consistently told us they felt safe with the care provided. Staff showed an understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and described appropriate action they would take to report allegations of abuse.
Records showed complaints were well managed. People and relatives felt able to report concerns or complaints and noted they were encouraged to raise issues by the management team.
Quality assurance systems were in place and had identified issues which were acted on. The registered manager and district manager carried out their own quality checks. The registered manager told us they were going to introduce monthly risk meetings to look at themes and trends from accidents and incidents.
Feedback from people and relatives about the care provided was very complimentary. People felt included in their care planning and through resident meetings. The home was in the process of switching from paper to electronic care records by early in 2024, and preparations were being made for this at the time of the inspection.
The management team were committed to continuously improve the service. They were responsive to our feedback and took immediate action where needed.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. We observed personalised care being delivered by way of choices offered to people by staff. People were encouraged to be in control of their day to day routines and care records support this practice.
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 outstanding (published 27 September 2018).
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from outstanding to good based on the findings of this inspection.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.