Mill House

Updated 9 March 2026

We carried an inspection of Mill house on 18 March 2026, with a further visit on 26 March 2026. The inspection was carried out due to the age of the previous rating when it was rated good in 2018. It had a registered manager in post and was supporting 22 people at the time of our inspection.

We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed autistic people and people with a learning disability respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

Staff confirmed they received training in both mental health and learning disability and felt equipped to support people over a wide spectrum of needs.

Staff were relaxed in their approach, and we observed good teamwork. A concern had been received about staff practices and the culture of the service, and this had been reviewed and staff supported to ensure they worked effectively as a team. We found the manager and deputy manager were open and honest, and they facilitated any request for information.

The environment was personalised and people’s bedrooms were of a good standard of cleanliness and maintenance. However, the building was old, (a listed building) which had some inherent limitations such as internal stairs and low ceilings in part.

Care plans were paper based and whilst they were comprehensive, we found important information was not always cross referenced. For example, one-page profiles did not contain all the key information we saw included in other documents which meant important things could be missed. We found staff supporting people knew their needs well, but agency staff were occasionally used particularly at night, so it was important to have accurate, up to date information. Immediately following our first visit, the manager addressed our concerns which included reviewing the paperwork and rectifying the concerns we had about the environment.

There were good quality assurance systems in place to help ensure the service was run and managed effectively in line with people’s needs and relevant legislation. Feedback was sought and used to improve the service people received and was inclusive of visitors and relatives to the service who could also contribute to the process.

Risks were managed effectively, but we could not always see clear outcomes or lessons learnt from the documentation reviewed and this was fed back to, and addressed by, the manager.

Updated 9 March 2026

People using the service told us that their needs were met and they got on well with staff. Various activities were planned throughout the day which were discussed in resident meetings and with their key member of staff. People’s needs were clearly documented and reviewed, and people were supported with their preferences.

Throughout our observations we noted all the interactions observed between staff and people living in the home were positive, cheerful, caring and respectful. It was clear in our conversations with staff that they genuinely knew people’s needs, wishes, likes and dislikes very well. Whilst we observed one person was upset, staff were quickly able to re-engage them and distract them resulting in them feeling more positive for the rest of our observations.

One person said, “We’re all like one big family here. We have our differences now and then, but that’s normal.” Another person said, “The staff really look out for you.”

Activities and entertainment included: going to the gym, shopping, discos, going into town, walks, cooking, bingo, playing pool and fishing.

A person said, ‘Staff are looking out for me, but I don’t feel restricted by this.” We noted there were very few restrictions for people, except when they had been an identified risk and this had been discussed and documented.

We observed lunch which gave people the opportunity to socialise with each other and it was not rigid so people could eat at a different time if they wished. People had a choice of food and were assisted with shopping, meal planning and preparation. One person told us, “There’s always plenty of it, [food] and you can choose what you want and where you want to have it. “

People were able to develop personally and socially with opportunities to move to more independent living and in some cases from more independent living where they had not received enough support for their needs.

One person told us they could often get anxious and worried about things but said, “The staff make sure I’m safe and make me feel better. I can talk to the staff about anything and I really like them.” One person said how staff had helped them increase their independence.

Family feedback was limited but positive. One family member said, “The staff that are there are absolutely brilliant. It's like an extended family - for both me and them. I have complete faith in the team.”