The Mellows

Updated 26 July 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector

Service and service type

The Mellows is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. The Mellows is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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 sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and four relatives to gather their views on the care they received. We reviewed a range of records. This included six people's care records and risk assessments, and several medicine administrations records (MARs). We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment, staff supervision and training. A variety of records relating to the management of the service were reviewed. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager and nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We also spoke with three visiting professionals.

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.

Updated 26 July 2022

About the service

The Mellows is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 50 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 49 people using the service.

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

The inspection identified minor improvements were required in the management of medicines. Accidents and incidents that occurred within the home were recorded and appropriate action was taken to ensure people were safe. However, we identified some accidents and incidents that required a referral to the local safeguarding team. People told us they felt safe living at the Mellows.

Risks to people's health and well-being had been assessed and staff had a good level of knowledge and understanding about people's individual risks and how best to support them. There were enough staff to meet the needs of people living in the service.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The meal experience was positive overall, and people were offered a choice of meal options. However, further monitoring was required to ensure people received the option they had chosen. People were supported by competent and knowledgeable staff who were well supported to meet people's needs.

The service was well-led. The staff team told us they felt supported by the registered manager. The registered manager had processes in place to monitor and improve the quality of service people received and had responded proactively to minor concerns identified during this inspection.

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 good (published 21 December 2019).

At our last inspection we recommended that the provider ensured recruitment checks were in line with Schedule 3 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. At this inspection recruitment files looked at met Schedule 3.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We received concerns in relation to staff not recognising or escalating people’s healthcare needs in a timely way. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective and well-led only.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe, effective and well led relevant key questions sections of this full report.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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 remained the same 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.