Mellor House

Updated 24 January 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 a comprehensive inspection. The inspection took place on 10 January 2018 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the location is a small care home and people are often out during the day. We needed to be sure that someone would be in.

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Prior to the inspection we looked at information we held about the service. This included statutory notifications we had received about the service. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the provider is legally obliged to send us. We also reviewed a Provider Information Return (PIR). A PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

People living at Mellor House had complex needs and communicated by gestures, sounds and behaviour and were not therefore able to tell us about their experience of living at the home. To enable us to gain an understanding of people’s experience of the service we spent time observing how they were supported by staff.

During our inspection we spoke with three relatives, five members of staff, practice leader and the registered manager. We looked at a range of records which related to people’s individual care and of the running of the home. This included two people’s care and support records, three staff files, training and supervision information, staff rotas, arrangements for medication, policies and procedures and quality assurance information.

Updated 24 January 2018

The inspection took place on 10 January 2018 and was announced.

Mellor House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Mellor House is registered to accommodate up to eight people who have learning disabilities who require nursing or personal care. The service does not provide nursing care. Accommodation and facilities for people living at Mellor House are situated on the ground floor of the building. The home is situated close to Southend-on-Sea town centre and seafront.

The 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.

The service requires and did have a registered manager. 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.

At our previous inspection in December 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service continues to be Good.

The service was safe. Staff understood their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm. Risks to people’s health and wellbeing had been identified and management plans were in place to mitigate these. Appropriate recruitment procedures were in place which ensured staff suitability for their role. There were enough staff to help keep people safe and meet their care and support needs. There were safe systems in place for receiving, administering and disposing of medicines.

The service was effective. Staff received the training and support that they needed to provide effective care to people living at Mellor House. People were supported to eat and drink enough and to access health and social care services when required. People’s rights were protected because management and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

The service was caring. People were supported by a kind, caring and consistent staff team. Staff knew people well and were sensitive to people’s individual care and support needs. Staff ensured people’s privacy and dignity was respected and maintained at all times.

The service was responsive to people’s individual care and support needs and there was a strong emphasis on person centred care. Care plans were regularly reviewed to ensure they reflected people’s care and support needs. People were supported by staff to pursue their interests and access activities within the service and in the community. Staff were committed to ensuring people had a very good quality of life.

The service was well-led. The registered manager and staff embraced the provider’s vision and values and enjoyed working at Mellor House. There were systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service provided and people’s relatives and staff working in the service had the opportunity to say how they felt about the home and the service it provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.