Mill Lodge Residential Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

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 the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

People and staff spoke positively about the culture at the home, describing it as warm, friendly and with a sense of community. One person commented, “It’s lovely here and everyone is very nice to me.” Staff spoke about wanting people to feel special and cared for and we observed care being provided in a compassionate and sensitive way. One staff member told us, “In my opinion staff are trustworthy and kind. I would trust the staff team with my own family.”

The provider had a clear plan for the home and since acquiring it had made several improvements aimed at enhancing the quality of people’s experiences. The provider told us, “I make sure I am here at least 3 times a week, I support the registered manager by making sure when they ask for things they are done. I also speak with people and families when I can to hear their views.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

People spoke positively about the management of the home. One person told us, “I know the manager and they are approachable. That’s what I like about them; you can talk to them about anything.”

Staff were also positive about how the home was run. One staff member commented, “This home is well managed. [Name of registered manager] is really good, they know what they’re doing. They are very observant. They do 1 walk around the home and they know what people need. They make decisions quickly when a decision is needed. If any residents want anything, they will make it happen.”

The registered manager was actively involved in the day to day running of the home and was knowledgeable about people’s needs and knew people well. They had the skills and experience required to lead the home.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

The provider had processes in place to support people, relatives and staff to raise concerns or share ideas. There was a whistleblowing policy which staff were aware of. One staff member told us, “I have previously raised concerns about 1 of the residents. Because I've done it, I'm confident concerns are taken seriously.”

The registered manager told us they aimed to be proactive about trying to resolve any concerns raised as this meant people had a better experience of care and encouraged people and their relatives to have confidence in the management team.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff told us they were a diverse team who worked together well. Staff spoke positively about their experience of working at the home and told us they had not experienced any harassment or bullying.

The registered manager ensured staff had undertaken training in relation to equality and diversity and staff’s knowledge and understanding of people’s individual diverse needs was apparent when they spoke about the people they supported.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

There were well established systems in place to maintain oversight of the home and drive any necessary improvements. Regular checks were carried out on the environment, equipment, incidents, accidents and medicines. The registered and deputy managers undertook a range of audits to monitor the quality of care provided and reviewed the experiences of people living at the home. Completed audits were then used to create action plans, which detailed where changes or improvements were needed to improve quality and safety.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The registered and deputy managers and the staff team worked in partnership with local agencies to ensure people’s needs were met. Records we reviewed showed they worked closely with professionals from health and social care services.

The home was also part of the local community and had visits from a local church as well as holding events such as a summer fayre which families, friends and members of the community could attend.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

The provider shared with us how they used research to develop the home to ensure it continued to meet people’s needs. They shared how they used their professional experience in healthcare as a basis on which to drive improvements within the home. They told us they used good practice ideas from other services to improve the quality of care provided.

There was evidence of learning through observation and complaints, and the registered manager spoke positively about the opportunities through learning from incident and events. They took a proactive approach to the inspection and were receptive to feedback provided.