Millfield Nursing and Residential Home

Millfield Nursing and Residential Home provides accommodation in one adapted building; nursing and personal care for up to 48 adults, including some older people living with dementia. At this inspection there were 47 people accommodated for care at the service, including 23 people receiving nursing care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The provider’s staffing, risk management and medicines arrangements for people’s care, helped to ensure people’s safety at the service. People were protected from the risk of harm or abuse through effective safeguarding and emergency contingency planning measures. The provider took action when things went wrong at the service and referred to relevant authorities involved with people’s care when required to do so. People and their relatives were confident in people’s safety at the service.

People’s care needs and choices were effectively assessed and met within an environment that was suitably adapted and equipped. Staff supported people to maintain or improve their health and nutrition. This was done in accordance with guidance and the law, and through timely consultation with relevant external health professionals, when needed.

Staff were trained, supported and deployed to provide an effective skill mix for people’s care. People were supported to have maximum control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The provider’s related policies and systems supported this practice. Standardised and lawful information sharing, helped to ensure people received timely, consistent care as agreed with them, including when they needed to move between services.

People received care from kind, caring staff who ensured their dignity, equality, choice, independence and rights in their care. Staff knew people well, how to communicate with them and understood what was important to people them for their care. People were informed, involved and supported to understand, agree and make ongoing decisions about their care in accordance with their diverse needs.

People received timely, personalised care that was tailored to their individual needs, daily living and lifestyle preferences. This was provided in a way which optimised people’s independence, inclusion and engagement in home life; and also with their friends, family and local community as they chose. Related arrangements were under review against nationally emerging contagion control measures, to help protect people from the risk of Covid 19 infection.

People who were living with a life limiting illness were effectively consulted and supported, to receive care against nationally recognised standards concerned with end of life care.

People and their relatives were informed and confident to make a complaint or raise any concerns about the service, if they needed to. People’s views and feedback were regularly sought and used to help inform service planning or improvement

The service was well managed and led by the registered manager. The provider’s governance and oversight arrangements were effectively operated, to ensure the quality and safety of people’s care and timely service improvement when needed.

Management and staff understood their role and responsibilities for people’s care and any related legal requirements. There were effective arrangements for communication, record keeping, accountability and information handling at the service. The provider’s operational care policies, timely engagement and partnership working with external agencies and authorities, helped to ensure people received care that was effectively informed.

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 Good. (Report published August 2018).

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.

There was a registered manager at this service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons.’ Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People and relatives felt people were provided with safe care. People’s care and medicines along with the environment and equipment used for their care were safely managed.

Staff understood risks to people’s safety from their health conditions and environment and the care actions required help reduce those risks, which they usually followed. Care and safety incidents were closely monitored. Management actions and remedial measures helped to ensure people’s safety or prevent any reoccurrence of any safety incidents when required.

The provider’s arrangements for staff recruitment and deployment helped to ensure people’s safety at the service. Emergency contingency planning helped to ensure people’s safety in the event of forseen emergency.

People, relatives and staff were confident and knew how to speak out if they had any concerns about people’s safety at the service. Staff were confident, knew how to recognise abuse and report and any concerns about people’s safety if they needed to.

People and relatives were happy with the care provided by staff who were qualified, trained and supported to provide care that met people’s assessed needs. Staff understood and followed the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) to obtain people’s consent or appropriate authorisation for their care.

People enjoyed their meals at the service and they were supported to maintain and improve their health and nutrition. Staff consulted with relevant external health professionals and followed their instructions for people’s care when required.

People received care from staff who were kind, caring and compassionate. Staff treated people with respect and promoted their dignity, rights, independence and involvement in their care.

People were provided with the information they needed about their care and the provider’s service they could expect to receive. Staff understood and followed what was important to people for their care and supported them to maintain their contacts with family and friends.

People’s care was often individualised but not always timely or inclusive. Environmental and equipment adjustments were not always made to fully enable people’s individual independence or orientation. A range of relevant adaptations and equipment were provided to help people move or eat and drink independently.

Staff understood and followed what was important to people for their care, daily living routines and lifestyle preferences. Staff knew how to communicate with people and supported them to engage and participate in home life and the wider community.

People and relatives knew how to make a complaint about the service if they needed to. People’s views about the service were regularly sought, well received and used to make care and service improvements when required.

The service was generally well managed and led. Staff understood their role and responsibilities for people’s care. Management arrangements for communication and record keeping helped to ensure this. Regular management checks and consultation with people, relatives and staff help to ensure the quality and safety of people’s care and continuous service improvement.