The Mellowes Care Home

Updated 27 May 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 and an Expert by Experience who made telephone calls to people using the service and their relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

The Mellowes Care Home 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 Mellowes Care Home is a care home with 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 not a registered manager in post. The manager had submitted their application to CQC to be the registered manager.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. 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 five people who use the service and nine relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with and received feedback from 13 members of staff including the manager, deputy manager, clinical services manager, a regional director, senior care assistants, care assistants, administrators, maintenance, housekeeping, kitchen staff, registered nurses and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

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 reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at four staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We received feedback from a professional who regularly visits the home.

Updated 27 May 2022

About the service

The Mellowes Care Home in Gillingham, Dorset, is registered to provide accommodation and nursing or personal care to up to 45 people. At the time of our inspection visit there were 30 people living at the service.

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

People were supported to meet their needs and stay safe by sufficient numbers of suitably trained staff. The manager had played an integral role in recruiting and retaining staff. This, and a drive to reduce the use of agency workers, had increased staffing numbers and the consistency of care people received.

People told us they felt safe and enjoyed living at The Mellowes Care Home. Their relatives were confident that their family members were receiving good care. Detailed and regularly reviewed risk assessments supported this. A relative said, “ I am sure [person] is safe with them, they are on to everything so quick.”

People were supported by staff who demonstrated a good understanding of how to keep them safe from harm or abuse and understood their responsibility to raise concerns if they were to witness poor or abusive practice.

People received their medicines on time from staff with the required training and competency assessments. If errors occurred, these were thoroughly investigated in a timely way and learning shared to reduce the chance of it happening again.

Although the home had experienced a period of management change in 2021, all stakeholders spoke positively about the improvements the new manager had brought to the home. A staff member told us, “[Manager] has made a massive difference to the home, is very supportive to both staff and residents.”

The home had an open, professional and supportive culture. Staff told us they were proud to work at the home and felt supported by their colleagues. Management held formal structured conversations with staff to discuss their career goals and aspirations.

People and relatives told us the home communicated with them well and sought their opinion on how things could be improved at the home. This was via a number of means including surveys, newsletters, telephone calls and the provider’s website. One relative told us, “We get asked what we think could be improved. We did suggest some new activities and they followed up on that.”

The home had developed good working relationships with other agencies. This included supporting GP surgeries, student nurse placements, and work experience for local school pupils.

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 6 January 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.