CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Mills Meadow
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- People told inspectors they felt safe. Risk assessments, safeguarding arrangements, staffing, recruitment checks, medicines systems and infection control were found to be effective.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and staff worked with health professionals. Inspectors found good training, support with food and drink, accessible facilities, and appropriate consent and best-interest processes.
- Caring?
- Outstanding
- People were treated as individuals and supported with warmth, dignity and respect. Staff often went beyond what was expected to support relationships, independence and special occasions.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Care was highly personalised and people were supported to follow their interests, maintain relationships and take part in activities inside and outside the home. People in bed also received meaningful one-to-one engagement.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found an open culture, good quality checks and positive feedback about management. A registered manager was not in post during the inspection, but a new manager had been appointed and plans were in place for registration.
What inspectors found, August 2019
Rated Outstanding; inspectors found exceptionally caring, personalised support, with the other four areas rated Good.
This was an unannounced, planned inspection on 10 July 2019. Inspectors observed care, spoke with people, relatives, visitors, professionals and staff, and reviewed care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Outstanding overall. Caring and Responsive were rated Outstanding. Safe, Effective and Well-led were rated Good.
Inspectors found people were treated with dignity and respect, and received care tailored to their needs and interests. Staff supported activities, community links, healthcare, medicines, food and end of life care well.
Caring and Responsive improved from Good at the last inspection to Outstanding. Safe, Effective and Well-led remained Good. There were no breaches of regulations recorded in this report.
Kind and personal care
People said staff understood them, respected their choices and treated them as individuals. Inspectors saw staff offering reassurance, warmth and support in a dignified way.
“You are not a number here, treated as an individual.” from the report
Meaningful activities
People were supported to continue their interests and take part in a wide range of activities and trips. The home also helped people who were cared for in bed to have meaningful engagement.
“It is not a place where people go to die. It is a place where life is lived! Where life is celebrated.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff with suitable skills and experience. Medicines were managed safely, with staff training, competency checks and regular audits.
“There continued to be enough staff with the right skills and experience to meet the individual needs of the people who lived in the home.” from the report
Good support with health and food
Staff worked with health professionals when people's needs changed and supported people to eat and drink enough. People and relatives praised the choice and quality of meals.
“People and relatives were complimentary about the portion sizes, selection and quality of the food provided.” from the report
Open management culture
Inspectors found that feedback was encouraged and that the home used incidents, complaints and staff views to support learning and improvement.
“There continued to be an open and transparent culture in the home that enabled learning from events and supported reflective practice.” from the report
Manager registration was still being arranged
minorThere was no registered manager in post during the inspection. A new manager had been appointed, and the report says plans were in place for them to apply for registration.
“A registered manager was not in post. The deputy manager was currently acting up as general manager.” from the report
- 01Has the new manager now been registered with the CQC, and who is responsible for the home day to day?
- 02The report says the home was not providing nursing care. What nursing support can you arrange if my relative's needs change?
- 03How will you keep my relative's care plan and risk assessments updated as their needs or preferences change?
- 04Which activities would be suitable for my relative, including if they spend much of their time in bed or have dementia?
- 05How will you involve me and my relative in care reviews, healthcare decisions and any changes to support?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, including the premises and care; Caring and Responsive improved from Good, while the other ratings remained Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 30 August 2019 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.
What inspectors found, October 2016
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with some specialist training still being strengthened.
Inspectors visited without notice on 7 September 2016. They spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and health and social care professionals. They observed care and reviewed care records, staff records, medicines and quality checks.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, personalised care, respectful staff and activities that supported people's choices and wellbeing.
The home had improved since the previous inspection in April 2015. Staffing, mealtimes, social needs, care records and quality monitoring had all improved. Inspectors noted that some new systems and responsibilities still needed to become fully established.
Enough staff
Inspectors found that staffing levels had improved since the previous inspection and were adjusted when people's needs changed.
“During this inspection people told us and we observed that the improvements had been made and there were enough staff to safely meet people's needs.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans reflected people's needs, preferences and independence. Staff knew people's routines and responded when their needs changed.
“People received care and support that was personalised to them and met their individual needs and wishes.” from the report
Improved management
The home had strengthened its checks on care, medicines, health and safety and records. Managers used feedback and identified shortfalls to make improvements.
“Effective systems and processes to assess and monitor the service had been implemented.” from the report
Specialist training
needs fixingInspectors received feedback that not all staff fully understood complex needs or specific conditions such as Parkinson's disease. The manager arranged additional specialist training after the inspection.
“However we received feedback that not all staff had a comprehensive understanding of how to meet complex needs or specific conditions such as Parkinson's disease.” from the report
New systems still embedding
minorThe management team said some new systems, processes and responsibilities still needed to become fully established.
“They acknowledged some improvements were still needed, to ensure that new systems, processes and expectations of responsibilities were embedded.” from the report
- 01What specialist training do staff now receive for Parkinson's disease and other complex conditions?
- 02How do you check that enough staff are available when people's needs change or they need extra support?
- 03How do you check that care plans and risk assessments are updated promptly when a person's needs or preferences change?
- 04What quality checks are carried out on medicines, care records and daily records, and what happens when a shortfall is found?
- 05How are residents and relatives involved in reviewing care and responding to complaints or concerns?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall service, covering all five CQC questions and reviewing care, staffing, medicines, records and quality monitoring. This explanation was written from the published report of 13 October 2016 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 Mills Meadow
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Outstanding.
- August 2019Outstandingcurrent ratingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- October 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 12 December 2012.
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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23 live-in carers within about an hour of Suffolk
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 £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 17 can care for a couple. 7 years' experience on average.
“Not only was she professional, polite and efficient but she bought a lovely smile and laughter to my parents home.”
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