Millcroft

Updated 10 September 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Millcroft is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who lived at the service to obtain their views of the care they received. Due to the nature of some people's complex needs, we were not always able to ask people direct questions about the care they received. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke to five members of staff including the registered manager, deputy head of care, activities coordinator and three care staff. During the inspection, we observed medicines being administered to people. We reviewed records about people's care which included care plans of each person at the service. We also looked at recruitment records and profiles, accident and incident reports, quality assurance documents and medicines records.

After the inspection

We sought feedback from two health and social care professionals who work in partnership with the service and used this feedback within the report.

Updated 10 September 2019

About the service

Millcroft is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 20 people at the time of the inspection, some of whom are living with dementia, mental health or frailty. The service can support up to 24 people. Millcroft accommodates people in one adapted building.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us they felt safe living at the service. One person said, “Yes I do feel safe. There are nice carers about. They are there if you need them.” Risks to people were managed effectively. Staff understood their responsibility for safeguarding people and knew how to report suspected abuse. There were enough suitable staff to care for people safely and the provider had robust recruitment procedures. People's medicines were administered safely, and infection control procedures were robust. Incidents were recorded and monitored, and lessons were learned when things went wrong.

People told us that staff had the skills to support them. One person said, “They try to do everything they can for us. I think it’s a difficult job.” Staff received the training and support they 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. People's needs were assessed comprehensively and considered people's diverse needs and their preferences. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and to access health care support when needed.

People told us that staff were kind and caring towards them. One person said, “I’m so happy here, comfortable. They look after me very well.” Good interactions were seen throughout the inspection. Peoples dignity and privacy was respected. One relative said, “Staff are all polite. Very respectful of mum’s privacy and they will always knock.” People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. One relative said, “They encourage her to do things herself, but she does need some support.”

Care was provided in a person-centred way. People were supported to maintain contact with people who were important to them. Staff were responsive to people's needs and ensured that people's information and communication needs were met. People were encouraged to access activities and to maintain their interests. People were confident that any complaints would be addressed. Staff supported people to plan for end of life care and respected their wishes.

The registered manager was well regarded. They had a clear vision for the service which was understood by the staff and embedded within their practice. There were effective quality assurance systems in place that were used to drive service improvements. People, their relatives and staff were asked for their feedback about the service and meetings were held regularly.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 24 November 2016).

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.