The Mill House care home
Healthwatch North Yorkshire has a legal power to visit health and social care services and see them in action. This power is known as 'Enter and View' and offers a way for us to meet some of our statutory functions and to identify what is working well with services and where they could be improved. We also get a response from the care homes to our recommended actions.
Read the full report:
Purpose of the visit
- To visit and gather views of the residents and their relatives and the experiences of the services provided.
- To observe the ongoing care being provided for the residents and their interaction with staff and their surroundings.
During the visit
Our authorised representatives visited the home and spoke with residents, residents’ relatives and friends, and care home staff, as well as conducted a planned observation.
We heard from:
• 17 residents,
• 21 residents’ friends or family members,
• 22 members of staff,
whose feedback forms the basis of this report and our rating of the Mill House.
Key findings
We found that, at the time of our visit, The Mill House was operating at a high standard.
The care home building is completely new, the staff are friendly and helpful, and the residents are well-cared for. These findings are based on our observations, as well as feedback received by Healthwatch from residents, their families and friends, and staff members. They reflect the general happiness and overall environment of the home.
However, there were a few issues highlighted by the visit.
The main findings were a need to make some adaptions to encourage a more dementia friendly environment. This includes general improvements to signage as well as training and support of the staff team.
Positive feedback
- The Mill House offers a luxury environment.
- Staff members are friendly and helpful.
- The move from Thorton Hill was well organised and executed.
- The food is fresh, well-balanced and nutritious.
- Staff members interact effectively with residents.
- The care home is well-maintained, with a comfortable and welcoming environment for residents and visitors.
- Residents have access to a range of amenities including a café area, daily activities and a pleasant garden area.
- Residents on the whole feel safe and well cared for.
- Staff members report high job satisfaction with a majority feeling they have access to adequate training.
Recommended areas for improvement
- Dementia-friendly environment: enhance the clarity of signage including contrasting colour schemes throughout the care home to improve navigation and reduce confusion.
- Mealtime improvements: ensure consistency in meal schedules and provide clear descriptions of dishes to prevent confusion amongst residents. Address menu changes to better accommodate residents' preferences and dietary needs.
- Dementia-specific and other training: Provide dementia-specific training for staff especially for toileting situations.
- Offer training in distressed communication and end-of-life care, with a focus on face-to-face sessions.
- Personalisation: enhance room signage for better recognition and accessibility. Consider adding local-themed decorations to connect residents to their surroundings.
- Information sharing and communication: ensure that staff members are well-informed about residents' individual preferences, needs, and health conditions.
- Actively involve families in the individual care planning and review processes.
- Improve awareness of health checks: make sure residents are aware of the availability of these checks and facilitate transportation as needed.
- Review staffing levels: Assess staffing levels, particularly during nighttime, to ensure residents' needs are fully met. Aim to minimise the reliance on agency staff or ensure consistency of staff as much as possible.
- Enhance social activities: Encourage residents to participate in activities and regularly invite them to join in, and ensure residents are aware of all the resources on offer to them including the library and visits from North Yorkshire Library service.
Response from Mill House care home
All of the recommended areas for improvement are being actioned.
In particular;
- More family involvement in care planning and reviews is happening on a monthly basis.
- With regards staffing, ongoing dependency levels are monitored and staff levels reflect this. An agency is currently being used to fill the recruitment gaps. Adverts are currently out and the Mill House have new candidates being introduced to the care home.
- With regards dementia and end of life, training will be happening in the new year 2024. Training will be provided by Dementia Forward.
