Hill House Care Home

Updated 3 August 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was completed by one inspector.

Service and service type

Hill House Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Hill House Care Home is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced.

Inspection activity started on 27 May 2022 and ended on 27 June 2022. We visited the service on 27 June 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used information gathered as part of monitoring activity that took place on 22 March 2022 to help plan the inspection and inform our judgements. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people about their experience of the care provided. We also observed people and staff interaction to help us understand the experience of people who were able to only give us limited feedback about their experience of the care they received. We spoke with six members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, nurses and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included five people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment.

A wide variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and monitoring

records, feedback, the ‘Quality Improvement Plan’ and meeting minutes were also reviewed.

Updated 3 August 2022

About the service

Hill House Care Home is a care home registered to provider accommodation and personal and/or nursing care to up to 75 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. The service is a three-storey building, divided into six units, with extensive gardens that people can access.

At the time of our inspection there were 54 people living at the service, with four additional people having been admitted to hospital.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People received safe care and support. Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and the procedures to follow should they have any concerns.

Risks to people's health, safety and wellbeing were assessed and managed. People's care plans detailed current risks and included guidance for staff.

There were enough members of staff. Staff were visible and able to respond promptly to people. Safe recruitment processes were followed.

Medicines were managed safely, with people receiving their medicines as directed by the prescriber. Infection control measures were followed, and staff had access to sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

The service was well-led. There were robust assurance systems in place to monitor quality across the service. Actions were taken and improvements were made, when identified.

The registered manager used a number of forums to seek feedback from people, their relatives and staff. The outcomes of audits, checks and feedback received were used to drive improvements at the service. The registered manager and provider had effective oversight of the service and used a ‘Quality Improvement Plan’ to ensure action was taken in response to the findings of assurance processes. The service worked in partnership with outside agencies.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was rated good (published 19 December 2017).

At the last inspection, the service was not rated (published 14 April 2021).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.