Archived: Mellieha

Updated 4 April 2025

Date of assessment 14 April to 19 May 2025. Mellieha is a residential care home which can accommodate up to 15 people. The service is made up of 3 adapted buildings that can each accommodate 5 people. The service provides personal care to adults with learning disabilities or mental health conditions. 15 people were living at the service at the time of inspection. The assessment was carried out to review the service following concerns received and to follow up breaches identified in previous inspection. Previously, inspection breaches had been found in relation to safe care and treatment, safe management of medicines, safeguarding people from abuse and improper treatment, staffing and governance. We found the service had made improvements and was no longer in breach of regulations. We found there was a culture of safety and saw concerns were raised and investigated. People were supported to have choice and control and give feedback on their care. Staffing levels were safe, and staff received appropriate support and supervision to carry out their role effectively. Medicines were managed and administered safely. The service had put clear and effective governance systems in place. People were involved in assessments of their needs. Staff reviewed assessments, taking account of people’s communication, personal and health needs. Care was based on latest evidence and good practice. We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

Updated 4 April 2025

People were overwhelmingly positive about the quality of their care. People felt safe and involved in planning their care. People said they received quality care from knowledgeable staff who treated them as individuals. One person said, “It couldn’t be better, it’s top notch. Several people described how staff treated them kindly and were caring. However, some people told us the service had a high staff turnover, vacancies and used increasing agency staff for cover. We discussed these concerns with the service, and it was evident vacancies were ongoing, and agency staff were regularly used. However, at the start of our assessment all vacant posts had been recruited to, and the service had no vacant posts. Some people could not directly tell us about their experience. We used a structured observation tool to assess whether they received good care. This approach showed people were included and listened to and staff consistently interacted positively with them. People told us they felt able to complain and was confident action would be taken. People knew staff and leaders well. One person said, “It is well run, good communication and the staff are well trained, I would recommend it. However, we received some feedback from people regarding the telephone line not working. Concerns relatives could not ring the service, and they had to use staff personal mobile numbers for contact those relatives felt was unfair to staff. We shared this feedback with the management team.