Archived: Middleton Hall Care Home

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection, speaking with people using the service, their relatives, the staff supporting them and looking at records. We also obtained a report produced after a quality monitoring visit from the Quality Assurance Officer of Rochdale Local Authority after their visit in November 2013.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

Training was in place to protect the people who lived at Middleton Hall Care Home such as moving and handling, safeguarding adults and first aid. The staff team also had National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) in Health and Social Care, This helped to ensure that the staff team had the skills to meet people's needs.

Middleton Hall Care Home was clean and free from unpleasant odours. There were soap dispensers and paper towels available in all bedrooms and toilets which helped to prevent the spread of infection.

There had been an incident involving medication which could have put the person's health at risk. The manager informed Rochdale Local Authority, Care Quality Commission and the GP. The GP confirmed that the person would not be adversely affected by the error. An action plan was submitted to the local authority and the manager conducted an investigation to the satisfaction of the local authority.

We were told that the organisation had recently renewed the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for all of the staff employed at the home. This ensured that as far as possible only suitable people were employed.

No one we spoke with at the time of the inspection had any complaints about the service being provided.

Is the service effective?

The two family members we spoke with said that they were kept informed about their relative's care. They also told us that if they had any concerns they were comfortable with talking to the manager or the care workers.

One family member told us, 'I am pleased with the staff, they are very caring and are meeting X's needs'. Another said, 'I have to say that I am delighted with the service, it is improving all the time and I am kept informed'.

A passenger lift assisted people to reach the upper floor. There was equipment available such as hoists and assisted baths to help the care workers meet people's care needs.

The home had undergone refurbishment to bathrooms, bedrooms and fire systems; all of which had improved the living standards of the home.

Is the service caring?

We were able to speak to six of the people who used the service during our inspection and two family members by telephone. Everyone told us that they were happy with the service being provided.

One of the people who lived at the home told us that the home met their care needs and that they had no complaints. They also told us, "I go down to the dining room for breakfast but have all my other meals in my room which I prefer and I always get plenty of butter and two pots of marmalade for my toast'.

Other comments we received included; 'They (staff) are lovely'; 'I like it here, it is smashing'; 'Good friends with them all'.

The family members told us, 'The staff team are superb and my relative is always clean and well looked after'; another said, 'The staff team go the extra mile for X'.

People said that the staff respected their privacy and dignity.

We observed during our visit that people were treated with respect by the staff team whilst they carried out the daily care.

Is the service responsive to people's needs?

We saw that people's needs were assessed before they were admitted to the home to ensure that their needs could be met. We saw that risk assessments and care plans were in place that reflected the person's care needs to ensure that they received appropriate care.

The care plans contained information from GP, district nurse and other health care professional's visits such as optician.

We saw that whenever recommendations were identified from audits, monitoring visits or complaints that these were acted upon. Action was taken in various ways such as through group and individual staff meetings, purchase of new equipment and improvement of record keeping.

Is the service well-led?

Middleton Hall Care Home is owned by Akari Care Homes who have a number of services throughout the country; the majority of which are located in the North of England. There is a regional manager employed who is responsible for Middleton Hall and other services in the Midlands and South East.

A Registered Manager is responsible for the day to day care of the people who live at the Middleton Hall Rest Home. The registered manager has a National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) in Health and Social Care from Level 2 through to a Level 5 in Management and has many years of experience.

We were told by the manager that questionnaires were distributed to the people who used the service in order to obtain their views and opinions about the service. The results were analysed and displayed on the notice board.

We were told by the people who used the service, their families and the staff team that they could talk to the manager if they had any concerns about the care being provided.

We saw that regular audits of records took place both by the manager and the regional manager. Any areas of concern were dealt with through meetings with the staff team.

We saw that people's care needs had been thoroughly assessed and regularly reviewed and that their care records were person centred and generally provided clear guidance to staff.

We found the provision of food was good, with well-balanced menus that offered choice. People's dietary requirements had been considered and one person told us 'The meals are good, you always get plenty'.

Work had been carried out following a fire safety inspection. We saw that people's rooms had been personalised and we were told further work was scheduled to make further improvements to the premises.

We saw the provider had an effective recruitment system in place and staff had undergone an induction period before they started working independently.

We found generally records were complete and up to date; however people's care records were not kept as securely as they could be.