Mellish House rated as Outstanding

Mellish House Residential Home in Sudbury, Suffolk, has had the best possible start to 2018 after being rated as Outstanding in the latest inspection of the home by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).Maekhala Allan, Home Manager at Mellish House, said: “This is a fantastic start to the new year for Mellish House. We are all ecstatic about the Outstanding rating which is a real team achievement by everyone involved with the home.”The CQC report, which was published on December 30^th, found Mellish House to be outstanding in the categories of well-led and responsive and good in safe, effective, and caring during its inspection visit in October last year.

Download the CQC report here

This gives an overall rating of Outstanding – the highest CQC rating which is only given out to a small number of homes following thorough inspection. We believe Mellish House is one of only 22 homes to be given the coveted rating in the East of England and one of just 12 to have the honour in Suffolk as at December 2017.The inspectors stated that the service provided an outstanding level of responsive care and support that placed people at the centre of care and enabled them to be instrumental in their support.All the people the inspectors spoke with had nothing but praise for the service and the excellent quality of life people living at Mellish House experienced. There was an especially strong ethos within the home of respecting people as individuals and providing the highest standards of personalised care. Relatives said they felt welcomed at the service and felt their family member was very well cared for.One relative said; “I cannot think of a better place for my family mnember to be. The care they receive from every single member of staff is first class. Caring, considerate, friendly, respectful, in fact I cannot sing their praises highly enough.”The home was praised by CQC for the strong links which have been forged with the local community, including joining up with a local charity to run a community wildlife reserve and inviting numerous groups, including local schools and churches, into the home to spend time with the residents.Maekhala, who has led the Mellish House team for the past five years was highly praised as a manager with clear vision and values for the home. She was found to be well respected and well liked by staff and relatives, promoting an open and inclusive culture throughout the home.Jemima Burnage, CQC’s Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care in the central region said: “Our inspection team was really impressed by the level of care and support offered to people at Mellish House.“People participated in an excellent range of activities which kept them entertained and enabled them to follow their hobbies and interests. People's rights to make decisions and remain in control of their lives were promoted as much as possible by staff. All of this meant people received a high standard of care, which is why it has been rated Outstanding.”Andrea Sutcliffe, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, said: “The quality of care which our inspectors found here was exceptional and I am very pleased that we can celebrate the service’s achievements.“An outstanding service is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work and commitment. I would like to thank and congratulate everyone involved.”