All inspections: Milldale - Care Quality Commission

Milldale is a residential care home in Heckmondwike providing respite care for up to eight people over the age of 18 who are living with a learning disability. Five people were living at the service at the time of the inspection. The home is on one level.

At the last inspection, the service was rated good.

At this inspection we found the service remained good.

Staff understood how to keep people safe through their confidence in the safeguarding procedures and people’s individual risk assessments. Premises safety was given high priority and staffing levels were supportive of people’s needs.

Staff demonstrated confidence and knowledge of individual people and how to support them. Staff felt valued and supported with regular opportunities for training and supervision. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Food and drink was tailored to people’s individual needs and people’s independence was promoted well.

People were respected and staff were mindful of upholding their privacy and dignity. Staff involved people fully in all discussions about their care and support. Interactions with people were kind and positive.

There was clear evidence of person-centred care. People were involved in activities based upon their established routines and preferences and there were close links between the person’s home and the service. Care records contained personal and individual detail with information about people’s needs easy to locate.

The registered manager was visible in the service and communication was open, honest and transparent. Staff had clear direction and were sure about their roles and responsibilities. Systems and processes for ensuring the quality of the service were securely and effectively in place.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on 16 January 2015 and was unannounced.

Millldale provides respite accommodation and personal care for up to eight people over the age of 18 who are living with a learning disability and/or autism. Seven people were staying at the facility at the time of our inspection.

The home had a registered manager who had been in post since 2010. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The service had effective systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided to ensure the smooth running of the service.

People told us they felt safe at the home. Risks to people were managed well and gave people freedom, yet kept them safe. Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All had a good understanding of safeguarding and knew what to do should they suspect any form of abuse occurring.

No one at the home was subject to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff had been trained and had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

People told us they were happy staying at Milldale and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring. One person told us “I’ve been coming here for a long time now and I feel at home here”

Throughout the day we saw staff interacting with people who were staying at Milldale in a caring and professional way. We saw a member of staff supporting one person whilst having a friendly and meaningful conversation about holidays and football matches.

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported. They were aware of their preferences and interests as well as their health and support needs, which enabled them to provide personalised care.

Staff told us they were happy, the management were supportive and listened. They said changes in care practice were implemented if any concerns had been raised

There was a strong emphasis on promoting and sustaining improvements at the service with the introduction of a new comprehensive quality assurance system and continual assessment of staff competencies. Good leadership was evident from the registered manager and the area manager with regular visits and checks on quality assurance.

When we visited the service in April 2013 we found there was a lack of arrangements in place with regard to obtaining consent from people who used the service. We also found that the service were not carrying out assessments of people's mental capacity in relation to this.

We returned to the home on this inspection to find out whether improvements had been made.

At the time of our visit, we were able to speak with one person who used the service and they told us staff treated them well. They told us they felt comfortable and safe when staying at the home. We saw that this person had just returned from a trip out with staff to have a meal at a restaurant. We saw that there was a range of facilities available for people to use such as a sensory room and an area with a computer.

We spoke with three people who use the service and they told us that they got on well with the staff and they were cared for them well. All three were comfortable and familiar with living at the home and with the services provided during their short stays.

Archived: Milldale

All Inspections

28 June 2017

During a routine inspection

16/01/2015

During a routine inspection

22 October 2013

During a routine inspection

10 April 2013

During a routine inspection

9 August 2012

During a routine inspection