CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Millbrook House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, June 2018
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-managed care, with activities and personalised care plans still being improved.
Inspectors visited on 7 and 8 June 2018. The first day was unannounced and the second was announced. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and professionals, observed care, and checked care records, staff files and quality records.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, received their medicines, and had enough safely recruited staff. Staff were kind, respected privacy, and knew people's needs and preferences.
The report says the Good rating was unchanged from the previous inspection. Inspectors found no serious risks or concerns. They also noted work still under way to make care plans more personal and to improve activities.
Safe staffing and risk management
Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment checks and personalised risk assessments. Staff understood how to manage risks such as falls, infection and choking.
“People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs and spend time with them.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff were kind and compassionate. They offered choices, respected privacy and dignity, and encouraged people to be as independent as they wished.
“Staff communicated in ways which were meaningful for people and we observed that interactions were relaxed and punctuated with moments of laughter.” from the report
Support at the end of life
End of life preferences were recorded and understood by staff. Inspectors received positive feedback about the support given to people and their families.
“People were supported with end of life care and preferences were recognised, recorded and respected.” from the report
Open management and improvement
People, relatives, professionals and staff gave positive feedback about management. Audits, meetings and surveys were used to identify changes.
“Quality assurances systems and processes were in place and up to date.” from the report
Care plans needed more personal detail
needs fixingCare plans recorded people's needs and support, but did not initially include enough detail about preferences and what mattered to each person. The manager had started separate personal care plans and was considering an electronic system.
“Care Plans included details about peoples needs and support required to meet these, but did not include personalised details about people's preferences or what was important to them.” from the report
Activities were unsettled
needs fixingSome activities were available, but there was no activities co-ordinator at the time. The home was working to provide more individual activities and planned to recruit another activities staff member.
“Activities have been a bit 'wobbly' as yet” from the report
Dessert service could be slow
minorPeople could choose desserts from a trolley, but one chef serving 15 people meant it took a considerable time. The manager said they would consider additional staff to help.
“because dessert was only served by the chef, meant that it took a considerable time for each of the 15 people seated in the dining area to receive their desert.” from the report
- 01What progress has been made with the electronic care planning system, and how will it record each person's preferences, history and interests?
- 02Who now plans and runs activities, and how are individual hobbies and interests being supported?
- 03How do you make sure people who eat in their rooms are shown the same meal and dessert choices as people in the dining room?
- 04How quickly are call bells answered during busy periods and at night?
- 05How will relatives be involved in reviewing care plans and changes in their relative's needs?
This was an overall inspection covering Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led; all five ratings remained Good from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 June 2018 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Millbrook House
3 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- June 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 14 January 2011.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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15 live-in carers within about an hour of Dorset
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £1,040 to £1,340 a week. 11 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Even when things get a bit chaotic (as they sometimes do!), you’ve handled it with patience and a sense of humour — which is gold.”
“Nina was patient, focussed on my aunt's physical well-being, and unfazed by what at the time was a new and uncertain situation”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.