Background to this inspection
Updated
19 March 2020
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by one inspector.
Service and service type
Millreed Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. However, the registered manager left the service in November 2019 and another manager was in the process of registering with CQC. The provider was in the process of de-registering the previous registered manager.
Notice of inspection
This inspection was unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about. We contacted the local authority to seek their views and opinions of the service. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with one person who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the manager, the area manager, a staff member administering medicines, the cook and two other care staff members. We spoke to a visiting health care professional. We reviewed a range of records, including three people’s care records, risk assessments and medication administration records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
Updated
19 March 2020
About the service
Millreed Lodge provides personal care for up to 33 older people, some of who may be living with dementia. Accommodation is provided on two floors with passenger lift access between floors. There are communal areas on the ground floor, including a quiet room, lounge, conservatory and dining room. There were 21 people in the home when we inspected.
People’s experience of using this service
People were protected from abuse. Staff understood how to recognise and report any concerns they had about people's safety and well-being.
People’s needs were assessed before starting with the service. People and their relatives, where appropriate, had been involved in the care planning process.
The provider followed safe recruitment processes to ensure the right people were employed. Staff training included an induction and ongoing training to ensure staff had the knowledge and skills they required to meet people's needs. There was enough staff to keep people safe.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were assessed and mitigated. People's medicines were managed safely. The home was clean, and staff followed procedures to prevent the spread of infections.
Staff had formed genuine relationships with people and knew them well and were seen to be consistently caring and respectful towards people and their wishes.
People received food and drink of their choice. When required, people were supported to access healthcare professionals and receive ongoing healthcare support. People were supported to share their views and shape the future of the care they received.
Care plans provided staff with the information they needed to meet people's needs. People could choose how they wanted to spend their time and a variety of activities were offered to people. People were supported to receive end of life care in the way that they wanted and met their individual needs.
Staff worked with other agencies to provide consistent, effective and timely care. We saw evidence that the staff and management worked with other organisations to meet people’s assessed needs.
The provider and manager followed governance systems which provided effective oversight and monitoring of the service.
The premises were homely and well maintained. We observed a relaxed atmosphere throughout the home where people could move around freely as they wished.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 12 February 2019).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.