Hill Barn Care Home

Hill Barn Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 26 people. The service provides support to older people some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 25 people using the service.

Hill Barn Care Home provides accommodation over the ground floor in a single building. There are two communal lounges and large grounds.

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

Improvements were needed to recruitment processes. The provider had recently implemented a staff file audit to address this going forward. Whilst there appeared to be sufficient staff, we noted some improvements needed around the deployment of staff. This was to ensure people in communal areas were not left for extended periods of time on their own. We found some areas of the environment could pose a potential risk. The provider had identified these and actions were planned to address these following the inspection.

People and relatives spoke highly of the quality of the meal provision. We identified some further improvements needed to ensure people were better supported with their meal options and choices. The physical environment required some refurbishment. This included in relation to improving the environment to meet the needs of people living with dementia. The provider had a list of planned works such as refurbishing bedrooms and carpets.

Some governance systems required further work to ensure they were robust. The provider had identified this and was in the process of reviewing and putting in to place new audits. The registered manager was passionate and committed to the service but had had limited management support, this had restricted their ability to improve and develop the service. At the time of the inspection the provider was in the process of putting in place additional assistance to support the registered manager.

Staff had a good understanding of how to support people to stay safe. Risks to people such as in relation to pressure care and malnutrition were well managed. Systmes were in place to support oversight and management of identified risks, this included in relation to incidents. Staff had a good understanding of adult safeguarding and how to report concerns. People received their medicines safely.

People's bedrooms were pleasant and personalised. The registered manager emphasised the importance of staff knowing people as individuals and ensuring their rooms reflected this. Nationally recognised tools to assess risks to people's skin integrity and malnutrition were used. Staff felt well supported to carry out their roles, they received a range of training. People and relatives told us they had confidence in the staff team. Staff monitored people's health and were proactive in ensuring they access health care when needed. People's consent to care had been sought and their ability to do so assessed. 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.

People were supported by a kind and caring staff team. People and staff spoke positively about the kind care they received. Staff demonstrated they cared about the people they supported and each other. People's spiritual needs were supported as well as relationships with important people in their life. People were listened to about their care.

People received person- centred care. This was supported by a stable and consistent staff team who knew the people they supported well. People told us they did not feel restricted and their individual preferences around their routines were supported. People and relatives told us they were happy with the activities on offer. Where people preferred to stay in their rooms staff had ensured they were kept stimulated in line with their preferences.

There was a positive person-centred culture in the home. Staff spoke positively their role and the support they received from the registered manager. Relatives told us the communication was good and they felt involved in the service. The service had a homely feel, with a family ethos and atmosphere. A family member said, “The home is a ‘homely home’. It’s not a hotel. There may be posher places around, but this is a true care home. There’s a low turnover of staff and management and the chef has been there years. Continuity of care is so important I believe.”

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 the service under the previous provider was good published on 01 November 2018.

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.