Mill Lodge Residential Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

This is the first assessment for this service which was previously registered under a different provider. This key question has been rated good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Staff recognised that people’s individuality was important and so supported them to make their own decisions. Where people’s care needs changed, staff and the management team discussed options with them and involved relevant external professionals as required.

The management team ensured guidance was available to staff about how to meet people’s current needs. Care plans were updated and any changes were shared with staff to ensure people received the care they needed. Staff shared examples with us of when they noticed a change in people’s needs, they reported this to the management team, who took action in terms of making relevant referrals, or discussing guidance with staff about the changes needed to best support the person.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

Records demonstrated how staff and the management team worked flexibly with other services and professionals in order to meet people’s care and support needs.

People and relatives told us they were kept up to date and were involved in their care and any external appointments or visits from professionals. One person said, “They [staff] look after you and they are very nice to you. They make sure you are looked after. The nurses and doctors come in regularly.”

We observed staff provided information on people’s current health to visiting professionals to support their visits.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

People’s care plans contained detailed information about their individual communication needs. One person’s care plan offered guidance to staff which included; ‘Staff to explain everything that is happening and ensure choice is given. Use clear tone, simple words and sentences.’ Staff we spoke with were aware of this guidance and shared how they adapted their approach to people, giving consideration to their mental health needs and levels of calmness or anxiety.

Pictorial menus were in place to support decision making at mealtimes and improvements were on-going in relation to visual prompts and reminders throughout the home.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

People told us they could share their views about their care with confidence. One person said, “If I want something, I ask. I’m very forthright. If you don’t ask, you don’t get. The family visits regularly and they all know what’s going on in here.” Another person commented, “I’ve never had to complain about anything and can’t think of what they could do better. I’m happy and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

The registered manager had an established system in place for the management of complaints. We reviewed complaints records and found complaints had been taken seriously and where things had fallen short of the standards expected of the home, this was acknowledged. The registered manager had investigated complaints and provided written responses to complainants. This included a follow up process to ensure people were satisfied with the outcome provided to them. The registered manager then ensured any lessons learned were shared with the staff team to improve the quality of care provided.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The provider ensured people had access to services such as opticians, specialist healthcare professionals, including diabetes nurses and occupational therapists when needed. People were supported to attend hospital appointments and the management team gathered relevant information about people’s health or medical needs to ensure care provided met their current needs.

Where people were unable to express their views and did not have support from family members, advocacy services were involved to ensure any barriers to care were removed.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

People were actively involved in their care and were supported to express their views on how they felt about the support they received. Formal and informal processes were used to gather people’s views on their experience and this meant action could be taken quickly where people were dissatisfied with their experience.

Activities within the home helped people stay engaged and connected to others and people were positive about their experience. One person commented, “It’s lovely here and everyone is very nice to me. There are no problems at all.” One staff member shared how people had made friends since moving to the home, they told us, “Many people here are friends. One resident said to another they were so happy to have met the other person, it was really beautiful. They said they were very happy for her to be in her life.”

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

Where people’s needs changed the management team worked with them and any relevant professionals to ensure care met their current needs. We saw examples of where the care provided at the home was no longer appropriate for people’s needs. In cases such as these the management team worked with people and professionals such as social workers and specialist nurses, to enable people to move to more suitable accommodation.

People’s care plans included information about their expressed wishes in relation to the care they wanted to receive as they approached the end of their lives. Although there was no-one in receipt of end-of-life care at the time of our inspection, the registered manager shared with us examples of how they had previously supported people in line with their wishes and preferences. This ensured people were treated with dignity at the end of their lives.