Archived: Hillcrest House

There were two registered managers in post, one of whom undertook the day to day management of the home and one who was also the registered provider. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People felt safe in the home and received safe care and support. Relatives said that they had no concerns about people’s safety and we observed that people were comfortable in the home. Staff had an in depth understanding of their role in safeguarding people and they knew how to report concerns. Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required at the times they needed it.

The recruitment practices were thorough and protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work at the service. Staff received the training and support required to enable them to understand and meet the care needs of each person.

People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed. Records showed that medicines were obtained, stored, administered and disposed of safely. People were supported to maintain good health as staff had the knowledge and skills to support them and there was prompt access to healthcare services when needed.

People were fully involved in decisions about their care and support needs and this had a positive impact on their ability to be as independent as possible. There were formal systems in place to assess people’s capacity for decision making under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff provided people with information in the most appropriate format to enable them to make informed decisions and encouraged people to make their own choices.

Staff were passionate about the work they did and had very good relationships with the people who lived in the home. People interacted in a relaxed way with staff, and relatives consistently spoke about the positive impact living in the home had made to people’s lives.

Comprehensive care plans and risk assessments were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and had been produced in conjunction with people using the service. They provided information to staff about action to be taken to minimise any risks whilst allowing people to be as independent as possible.

People participated in a large and varied range of activities within the home, the local community and further afield. The atmosphere in the home was vibrant and people were enthusiastic about holidays and activities planned for the future.

Staff were aware of the importance of managing complaints promptly in line with the provider’s policy. People living in the home, their relatives and staff were confident that any issues would be addressed and that if they had concerns they would be listened to.

The service was well led and people’s relatives and staff had full confidence in the leadership of the registered manager. The provider ensured that the service was well supported and effective systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of service provided.

People told us the staff were nice and supported them with their activities. One person told us that they were involved in planning the menus and they enjoyed the opportunities to participate in cooking the food when it was their turn. One person said 'The house is clean and homely' and they enjoyed living there. Another person showed us their room and this was individualised and met their needs.

The staff we spoke with told us that the records kept for people using the service had improved and they had a very good new registered manager who listened to them. We observed that staff spoke to people in a kind manner and supported them at their pace.

We saw that records kept for people who used the service had been updated and were located promptly when required. We found the provider had taken steps to provide care in an environment that was suitably designed and adequately maintained.

We spoke with three members of staff and they all told us that they enjoyed the job they did. One member of staff told us "I love my job and the clients are always a priority". They were all able to tell us about the varying levels of support that each person required.

We examined how people were supported with their nutritional needs and how they were supported to work with other providers. We also looked at the management of medicines and the quality assurance mechanisms that the provider had put in place. We found concerns with the suitability of the premises and the records that the provider maintained.