Milldale Close

Updated 20 September 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 12 July 2018. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

As part of the inspection we looked at information we held about the service and we asked the local authority if they had any information to share with us about the home. The Local Authority is responsible for monitoring the quality and for funding some of the person’s living at the home. During our inspection we spoke to one person who lived at the home and used different methods to gather their experiences of what it was like to live at the home such as observations of staff interaction with the person. We also spoke to the registered manager, the deputy manager, the HR manager and two members of staff. We also spoke to two relatives by telephone.

We looked at records relating to the management of the service such as the care plan for one person, the incident records, medicine management, staff meeting minutes and three staff recruitment files.

Updated 20 September 2018

Milldale is a home that provides accommodation and personal care one person living with a learning disability who may also have complex needs. On the day of our inspection there was one person living at the home.

The inspection took place on the 12 July 2018 and was unannounced.

There was a registered manager at this home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers and registered managers 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 person felt happy and comfortable around staff they knew.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

Relatives said they were happy about the care their family member received. They told us staff were caring and promoted the person's independence. We saw the person was able to maintain important relationships with family and friends. The person had food and drink they enjoyed and had choices available to them, to maintain a healthy diet. Staff knew the person who lived at the home well and were able to support them to eat and drink. The person was protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage them. Relatives told us they had access to health professionals as soon as they were needed.

The person and their family told they were involved in planning the care their relative received and were kept informed about their care. The person living at the home was supported to maintain relationships and friendships that were important to them. The person and their family understood how to complain if they needed to although they felt they could approach staff in the first instance.

Staff we spoke with were aware of how to recognise signs of abuse, and systems were in place to guide them in reporting these. They were knowledgeable about how to manage the person's individual risks, and could respond to their needs. Staff had up to date knowledge and training to support the person. We saw staff treated people with dignity and respect whilst supporting their needs.

The registered manager promoted an inclusive approach to providing care for people living at the home by involving the person in making decisions about their care. Staff attended regular meetings to share their views and share ideas for improving care at the home. The provider and registered manager had systems in place to monitor how care at the service was provided, to ensure the person received quality care that was reviewed and updated regularly.