Archived: Hillfield House

Updated 3 August 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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 comprehensive inspection took place on 5 July 2017 and was unannounced. 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.

We checked the information we held about the service and the provider. This included notifications the provider had sent to us about significant events at the service and information we had received from the public, the local authority and other relevant professionals.

We did not send the provider a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. This 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. However, we gave the management team the opportunity to provide us with information they wished to be considered during our inspection.

We spoke with 13 people who used the service and one person’s visitor, one visiting professional, six care staff, a senior carer and the registered manager. We spent time observing care in the communal areas of the home to see how staff interacted and supported people who used the service.

We also looked at the care plans for two people to see if they accurately reflected the care they received. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service, including quality checks and staff files.

Updated 3 August 2017

Hillfield House provides accommodation and residential care for up to 34 people who may be living with dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 32 people using the service.

At the last inspection on 1 October 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People felt safe with the staff that supported them. People were supported to keep safe as identified risks were managed in a way that ensured risks to people were minimised, whilst promoting their rights and choices. People were supported to take their medicine when needed in a safe way. People were protected from the risk of harm as staff understood what constituted abuse or poor practice. Checks were made before employment to confirm staff were of good character and suitable to work in a care environment.

People’s needs and choices were met as there was sufficient staff available who received training and supervision to support and develop their skills. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. People were supported by a consistent staff team that knew them well and promoted their independence. Staff understood people’s preferred communication method and the support they needed to make their own decisions. When people were unable to consent to specific decisions they were supported in their best interest.

People’s needs were assessed and support plans where developed with them and their representatives to enable them to be supported in their preferred way. There were regular reviews of people’s care to ensure it accurately reflected their needs.

People were supported to maintain a diet that met their dietary requirements and received support from health care professionals to ensure their well-being was maintained. Health concerns were monitored to ensure people received specialist health care intervention when this was needed.

Staff were kind and caring when supporting people and knew their likes and dislikes.

People were supported to participate in social activities. People told us that they liked the staff and we saw that people’s privacy was respected by the staff team. The staff and management team made visitors feel welcome and were approachable. People were treated with respect and supported to maintain their dignity. The staff worked in partnership with people when supporting them.

There were processes in place for people to raise concerns and express their views and opinions about the service provided. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to enable the registered manager and provider to drive improvement.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.