Archived: House on the Hill

61 Rosemary Hill Road, Little Aston, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, B74 4HJ (0121) 353 0464

Provided and run by:
Bonehill Limited

All Inspections

17 January 2013

During a routine inspection

When we visited House on the Hill in January 2013, it had been in receivership for seven months. A management company, Healthcare Management Solutions was covering the responsibilities of service provider on a temporary basis. We were told that another company was in the process of buying the care home.

The home had been registered to provide personal care for 13 people. When we visited ten people were living there. Some people had dementia and were unable to discuss their care with us; other people wanted to talk to us about their experiences. We talked with two people who lived at House on the Hill and with relatives who were visiting two other people that day. We gained a mixed picture of the care people received. One person told us the care was, “Terrible”. Another person told us they, “Could be warmer”. However the relatives we spoke with told us that staff at House on the Hill were very caring and that they were, “Happy” and “Very satisfied” with the care given.

We found there were enough qualified and experienced staff to provide care. We are waiting to confirm how many staff have attended training in protecting vulnerable adults. We are also waiting to understand more about safeguarding allegations made by two people who live at the home. We saw that improvements had been made to the building and to the quality assurance systems in the home since the temporary provider has been responsible for people’s care.

5 December 2011

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We visited the service in September 2011 and we left compliance actions in relation to care planning, medication procedures, staffing, and equipment and facilities provided. We carried out this visit to ensure the service had complied with these actions and we reviewed how people were being supported in the home since our last visit.

We observed staff providing support in the home and saw people were treated with respect. Personal care issues were discussed sensitively and discreetly. There was now information about people's care needs including their preferences and how they wanted care provided.

During our visits people told us the staff were welcoming and provided good care and support. People said, 'We like it here, we have everything we need' and 'There's staff here if we want them, and they're always polite.'

People were dressed in their own style and if they needed support, staff helped them to continue to take a pride in their appearance. Staff listened to people and spent time with them, talking and carrying out activities, as well as providing care.

Family and friends could visit the home whenever they wanted, and family members were able to continue to provide care for a relative and spend time in the home. People told us that they went to family homes and continued to enjoy family events.

People knew how to make a complaint and told us they did not have any concerns about the home, but would talk to staff if they did.

Before we visited the service we spoke to other people who had an interest in the service including the safeguarding team and staff from the local authority. We did this to determine if they had any concerns or observations they wanted to make about the quality of service provided. No further concerns were identified.

9 September 2011

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We visited the service in February 2011 and left two compliance actions in relation to care planning, and storage of information. We carried out this visit to ensure the service had complied with this action. We reviewed how people were being supported in the home since our last visit.

People told us they were concerned about the support they received as on some days staff were responsible for cooking and care duties. This meant that staff were not always available to provide support. People stated the staff were busy but were always polite and spoke respectfully.

People said, 'The staff are so busy, they try and do more than one thing at once, like trying to dress me when sitting on the toilet'

'If the cook is off sick, the staff have to do the cooking too, so they are not around.'

'There's only one staff here at night.'

'Even though staff are very rushed and busy, they are good, they do care, they just don't get enough time.'

We saw that if people needed support at lunch time, the staff provided this but allowed people to retain their independence. Staff spoke respectfully to people and knew how people wanted to be addressed.

People were able to use two living rooms and a dining room; communal areas were homely and decorated to a good standard. People told us they were happy with the living areas in the home and there were hand rails around the home to support people to move around. Some people told us they were not happy about the equipment in the rooms, toilet roll holders and light bulbs had not been replaced.

We saw people were dressed in their own style and people told us they could dress how they wanted and continue to take a pride in their appearance.

4 February 2011

During a routine inspection

People were happy with the accommodation and their bedrooms. They said their rooms were kept clean they could to bring in personal belongings and furniture to personalise their room. One person said, 'This is my home now, I have my things around me, and this is where I shall stay'.

Each person had a plan of care which recorded information about how they wanted to be supported and their health needs. People who use the service told us they were happy with the care and support provided and the staff treated them with respect and listened to them. The staff team received regular training and were competent and knew how to care for people safely. Comments from people included,

'the staff always ask me if I want anything, though if I'm ok I do it myself.'

'the staff look after us well, they're all wonderful' and

'they're always there for us, nothing is too much trouble.'

Daily routines were flexible and people could choose when to get up and how to spend their day. Following a review of activities people said more external activities were arranged and people told us their daily activities were flexible and they could choose whether to join in activities. Comments about activities included,

'It's up to you whether you join in, sometimes I do but generally I like to just talk with my friends.'

People knew how to make a complaint and people told us they did not have any concerns about the home, but would talk to staff if they did. People were asked for their views on the quality of care in the home, and felt that their views were listened to. Comments included,

'You can tell people if you want things differently, they are always ready to make adjustments.'