Archived: Miranda House

We spoke with seven relatives who told us they were made to feel welcome in the home. We were told that the staff were friendly and kept them informed of issues or concerns and people felt involved in the planning of care. Two relatives we spoke with had criticisms of some aspects of the care. One thought more activities should be provided and another thought more supervision should be provided in the dining areas at lunchtimes. One person had also raised concerns about a plan of care not being followed.

The home was being managed by a peripatetic manager and another manager who was going through the registration process. We were told they were recruiting more care and nursing staff and hoped to use less agency staff in the future. We saw that the rotas were being monitored and a minimum level of staffing being maintained.

We found that records were being kept when people required pressure care and that fluid and food intake was being regularly monitored and recorded. We found that people had up to date nutritional assessments in place.

We found that whilst people's basic care needs were generally being met there were insufficient staff on duty to fully meet the complex needs of the people living in the home. We found that staff shortages, usually caused by sickness, meant that at times, the full needs of people were not being met. We found that the staff had a positive attitude to meeting needs and worked hard to provide the personal care but had little time for further engagement with people or to meet the needs of people with dementia when the full designated number of staff were on duty.

We found that mechanical equipment was being maintained appropriately but there were times when the home was running out of protective clothing and other basic items such as hand towels and cleaning materials.