Hilgay Care Home

Updated 9 December 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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

One inspector completed this inspection.

Service and service type

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

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

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. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with four members of staff, the registered manager and the provider. We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records and information about recruitment.

Updated 9 December 2021

About the service

Hilgay Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care in one adapted building for up to 35 older people living with frailty, dementia and other health related conditions. At the time of the inspection there were 17 people living at the home.

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

People told us they were happy with the service they were receiving and described staff as being kind and caring. One person commented, “I am very happy here, the staff are all pleasant and easy to get on with.”

Improvements found at the last inspection had been sustained and people were receiving safe and effective care.

Risks to people were assessed and managed. There were clear care plans in place to guide staff in how to provide care safely. People were receiving their medicines safely and records were accurate. There were effective systems to monitor incidents and accidents and to make improvements when things went wrong. Staffing levels were safe and recent recruitment had been successful.

Staff had received the training and support they needed to care for people’s needs. Staff were proactive in ensuring people could access the health care services they needed. People were being supported to have enough to eat and drink and spoke highly of the food available. One person told us, “There is always a good choice, lots of options to choose from.”

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.

Staff had developed positive relationships with people. One person told us, “They (staff) are all lovely.” Another described two staff members as, “The dream team.” Staff were respectful of people and their wishes. People were supported to be as independent as possible and were supported to express their views. Care plans reflected people’s voice and supported staff to understand their needs and preferences.

Care was delivered in a personalised way that was responsive to people’s needs and wishes. People described being offered choices and feeling in control of their care. People were involved in developments at the home, one person described working with staff to create an activity room where people could go to follow their interests.

People said they felt comfortable to raise any concerns and were confident complaints would be listened to and addressed by the registered manager. People and staff expressed confidence in the leadership and skills of the registered manager. Effective systems were embedded within practice to monitor the quality of the service and to drive improvements.

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

Rating at last inspection. The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 13 October 2020)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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 until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.