Archived: Millrose Care Limited

Millrose Care is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care in people’s own homes in the community.

CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of inspection, approximately 30 were receiving care from the service and, except for three people, all received personal care.

The service provides care and support to people living in the surrounding areas of Bideford.

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

People and their relatives were very happy and complimentary of the service provided by Millrose Care. They received safe and effective care to support their individual needs.

People were protected and cared for by staff who had been safely recruited, well trained and skilled. They were aware of how to recognise and report any concerns they had.

Staff were kind, caring and compassionate to people and their relatives. They ensured people were treated with privacy and dignity and encouraged them to remain as independent as possible.

People and care staff and had built up trusting and positive relationships together. Staff cared for families and pets as well as the people they supported. They made small caring gestures to people which meant a lot to their wellbeing.

There was good communication and people and relatives felt listened to. All felt if they had concerns, the registered manager would resolve them.

People’s needs were assessed, and care plans were clear and detailed. They included all areas of the care and support needed based on people’s individual choices and preferences. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing were continually identified and reviewed.

People received their medicines safely and were encouraged to eat and drink.

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. Staff sought people’s consent before supporting them and people’s support given in line with law and guidance.

People knew had to raise a concern and felt listened to. They were confident any concerns would be resolved.

People, relatives and staff were complimentary about how the service was led by the registered manager. Staff shared in their vision for the service and were motivated and enjoyed their jobs.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality and effectiveness of the service.

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 14 September 2017).

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.

The service provides personal care and support to older people in their own homes. The service currently covers the Bideford area only.

At the time of our inspection, the service provided a service to approximately 14 people. The times of people’s visits ranged from 15 minutes up to one hour. The frequency of visits ranged from one visit per week to 28 visits per week dependent upon people’s individual needs. The service employed 8 care workers who worked both full and part-time.

The service had two joint registered managers who were present during the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

The service cared for people, relatives and their pets keeping them at the heart of the service. There was a strong emphasis on compassion, kindness, caring and respect. Feedback from people and relatives was very complimentary. They all expressed satisfaction with the management of the service, knew the registered managers well and spoke highly of the care workers. People valued their relationship with staff and felt staff often went ‘the extra mile’ for them. One care worker said, “When have I gone the extra mile? Little things like cutting flowers from a client’s garden so they can enjoy them nearby or reading aloud some poetry to a client who was feeling despondent to raise their spirits … I hope I always pay attention and deliver person centred care, I certainly try to.”

People were supported to express their views and were involved in decision making about their care. Care records recorded life histories about each person, their life and what mattered to them. Families and other relatives were also supported by the service. One relative said, “There is a family feel about this service … they always do little things for me and care about me too.”

People benefitted from care workers who were safely recruited, trained and supported to do their jobs properly. They felt the care was very good and there were never any missed visits. People felt their needs and wishes were the focus of the service and the care workers who supported them. They received consistent care from a team of care workers who knew them well and also cared for their family members. Meaningful and strong relationships had developed over time. People’s comments included, “I am really happy with this service … I look forward to them (care workers) coming in” and “They are lovely, all nice”. A relative said, “There is a family feel about this service … they always do little things for me and care about me too.” One person had even written a poem about the service to show their gratitude of the care delivered; they referred to the care workers as “ministering angels”.

Care and support was planned and focussed on people’s individual needs, choices and preferences. The service responded positively and quickly to any changes in people’s conditions. People and relatives gave us examples of how the service had responded to meet people’s individual needs. People’s independence was promoted and people were encouraged to help themselves as much as possible. People were assisted to eat and drink meals of their choice. Medicines were given in a safe way by staff who had been trained in this area.

The safety of the service was taken seriously and the providers and care workers were aware of their responsibility to protect people’s health and well-being. There were systems in place to ensure any identified risks were managed and reduced as much as possible.

Millrose Care had operated for one year and was managed jointly by the registered managers who were also the registered providers. They both had several years of management and care experience. People were complimentary of the way the service was managed and knew both the registered managers personally. The service was open and inclusive and regular feedback was sought. The registered managers cared for its staff and involved them in the running of the service. People, staff and relatives were complimentary about the style and leadership of the service. One person said, “The managers are lovely … if I have a problem they solve it.”

The provider had a range of quality monitoring systems in place which included spot checks, regular staff meetings, surveys and a range of audits. People knew how to raise any concerns or complaints and felt confident to do so. Where concerns were raised these were investigated and the appropriate action taken.