Millfield is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection. Millfield is a purpose-built home, owned and managed by Anchor, which is England’s largest not-for-profit provider of support, care and housing for older people. It is set in a quiet location in the Waterhead area of Oldham. The service is registered to provide care for 37 people. At the time of our inspection there were 36 people living at the home.

Our last inspection of the service was in August 2014. At that inspection we rated the service good overall. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Systems remained in place to help safeguard people from abuse. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding matters, how to identify signs of abuse and what action to take to protect people in their care. Risk assessments had been completed to show how people should be supported with everyday risks.

Recruitment checks had been carried out to ensure staff were suitable to work in a care setting with vulnerable people. At the time of our inspection there were sufficient staff to respond promptly to people’s needs.

A safe system of medicine management was in place. Medicines were stored securely and records showed that staff received training and competency assessments before they were permitted to administer medicines.

The home was well-maintained, clean and decorated to a high standard. It provided a pleasant environment for people to live in. There were effective infection control and prevention measures within the service. Checks and servicing of equipment, such as for the gas, electricity and fire-fighting equipment were up-to-date.

Staff had undergone training to ensure they had the knowledge and skills to support people safely. All staff received regular supervision. This ensured the standard of their work was monitored and gave them the opportunity to raise any concerns.

The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Staff worked closely with health and social care professionals to ensure people were supported to maintain good health. People were supported to eat a well-balanced diet and were offered a choice and variety of good quality, home-cooked meals.

Staff interacted with people in a warm and caring way, respected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

People's care plans contained detailed information about their preferred routines, likes and dislikes and how they wished to be supported. A range of activities were available for people to take part in.

The service had a formal process for handling complaints and concerns. We saw that complaints had been dealt with appropriately.

Although both the manager and deputy manager were new to their posts, we found they provided good leadership of the service and were committed to maintaining and improving standards. Audits and quality checks were undertaken on a regular basis and any issues or concerns addressed with appropriate actions.

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 registered provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Millfield offers accommodation and personal care to up to 37 people. The accommodation is purpose-built and is approximately two miles from Oldham town centre. Millfield is on a main road with good public transport access to Oldham. At the time of our inspection the home was fully occupied.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the registered provider.

This was an unannounced inspection. During the visit, we spoke with the registered manager, hospitality worker, four care staff, three visitors, and 12 people who live at the home.

We found staff understood how to promote and protect the rights of people, particularly where they lacked the ability to make important decisions for themselves. Training and development opportunities were provided so that staff were able to develop their knowledge and skills in specific areas of support people needed.

We saw people’s care records provided good information to direct staff in the safe delivery of their care and support. Records were kept under review so information reflected the current and changing needs of people. Information was stored securely ensuring confidentiality was maintained.

Opportunities were provided for people to take part in activities of their choosing. This provided variety to people and enabled them to socialise with others.

Staff worked closely with healthcare agencies when addressing the changing needs of people so that their health and well-being was maintained and people received safe and effective care.

Records showed people who had applied to work at the service had been robustly recruited so only those applicants suitable for employment were offered work.

We saw sufficient numbers of staff were available to support people in in kind, sensitive and unhurried manner.

Effective management systems were in place to monitor the all areas of the home including the care people received, recruitment of new staff, safety checks to the building and emergency procedures. This demonstrated the provider regularly reviewed the service so that people living at the home had a positive experience.

We saw people were offered a varied and nutritious diet. Mealtimes were well organised, unhurried and provided a pleasant opportunity for people to socialise with each other.

People living at the home and their visitors were complimentary about the staff and care and support provided. People told us their needs were met promptly by staff that were caring and respectful. All the people we spoke with were confident if they raised any issues or concerns these would be dealt with to their satisfaction.

During this inspection we spoke in private with four people who used the service, two relatives of people using the service and three members of the care team. We also spoke with the registered manager and a team leader.

Everybody who we spoke to was confident that people living at the home were treated with respect and had their dignity maintained. Some staff had been on specific training to become "dignity champions".

People's needs were assessed and a written plan of care was developed. These assessments and the care plan were periodically reviewed. People were involved in the care planning process. One person using the service told us staff "do take notice". A relative said they were confident to discuss changing needs with the staff and "I don't feel I am stepping on toes if I need to talk to them".

The home appeared to be clean’ tidy and well maintained throughout. Everyone we asked said this was the normal state of the premises.

People who we asked said they thought there were enough staff on duty. The manager told us they were able to increase staffing levels if necessary. One visitor described the home as "very homely and friendly, staff are all very nice". Another visitor said the home "never seems out of control".

Everybody who used the service or their relatives who we spoke with, told us that any complaint they may have would be dealt with appropriately. One person using the service said that if anything was wrong staff "would sort it out".

During our visit to Millfield we spoke with three people who used the service and three visitors. All the people we spoke to were positive about the care provided at Millfield.

People living at the home told us that staff were friendly and discussed how best to meet their care needs. Comments included "[staff are] very thoughtful and would do anything for you" and "staff treat me very well". Comments from visitors included "the staff are very, very friendly and efficient", "can't say enough praise", and "[staff are] very approachable".

People told us that they felt safe living at the home and any complaints they had would be listened to and dealt with. One person said to us "I can tell them if it [anything] is not okay". Another person was able to tell us of an occasion when they raised an issue with the manager who "sorted it out that day [which was] really rather good".

We asked people if they thought the staff were competent, which they did. One person told us that new staff sometimes needed to have things explained to them, but that once told, they understood how she liked things to be done.