About the service:

Millard House is a residential care home, providing personal care and accommodation for people aged 65 and older. At the time of our inspection 38 people were living in the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were safe living in the service. Risks had been identified and people told us they felt safe and well looked after.

Staff were kind and caring and supported people to be as independent as possible.

People had access to healthcare professionals when required.

Staff knew how to care for people. Staff used their skills and the resources and equipment provided so they risk of accidental harm or infections was reduced. People were supported to have their prescribed medicines to remain well.

People were supported 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.

The registered manager had clear oversight of the service and worked alongside staff. Staff were respectful of the register manager and told us they were approachable and supportive.

We found the service continued to meet the characteristics of a “Good” rating in all areas; More information is available in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

Good (The date of the last report published was 17 September 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor this service in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated as Good.

Millard House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation for up to 43 older people, some of whom were living with a diagnosis of dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 32 people living in the service.

Our inspection was unannounced and took place on 8 July 2016. The service was last inspected on 12 August 2014 and we found the provider was meeting the regulations. The service had recently been taken over by a new provider and this was the first inspection of the home under the new leadership.

The service is spread across two floors. Some bedrooms were located on the ground floor but a majority were situated on the upper floor and accessed via stairs or a passenger lift. The service had two double rooms. On the day of the inspection one was being used as a single occupancy and the other was empty. There were several communal areas including a dining room and a quiet lounge area where people could sit and listen to music. People had access to a pleasant outside courtyard area within the grounds. A day centre was also located within the service and we saw that people living in the home were able to attend activities and eat their meals there if they chose to.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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 were kept safe and protected from harm by staff who had a good understanding of what action to take if they suspected someone was being abused or mistreated. Accidents and incidents were monitored to identify themes and to help prevent any reoccurrence. There were sufficient numbers of experienced and caring staff to support people. Risks to people had been assessed and measures were taken to prevent avoidable harm and to help ensure their freedom was supported and respected.

Staff received training which enabled them to meet the needs of the people they cared for and provided them with continued personal development. Relatives were complimentary about the effectiveness of the care and many told us they had seen improvements in their family member's well-being since moving into the service.

The service had safe systems in place to ensure that appropriate recruitment checks had been carried out on staff before they were employed. This determined that new employees were suitable to work with the people living at the service. Staff received annual appraisals and supervision, which provided opportunities to discuss and monitor their performance and training needs.

There were robust measures in place to support people to take their prescribed medicines safely and staff competencies were maintained through annual training, spot checks and observations.

The environment was monitored and assessed to help ensure it was safe for people to live in.

The registered manager and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). MCA and DoLS are in place to protect the rights of adults by ensuring that if there is a need for restrictions on their freedom and liberty these are assessed and decided by appropriately trained professionals. People's best interests had been considered when decisions that affected them were made and applications for DoLS authorisations had been submitted where restrictions were imposed upon people to keep them safe.

People were offered a varied diet and could have alternatives to the menu if they chose. Where necessary, staff assisted people with eating and drinking. Systems were in place for staff to monitor people's nutrition and hydration with action being taking when concerns were identified. Staff ensured that people's health needs were effect