The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: Hilltop House (Domiciliary Care)

2 Heldhaw Road, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP32 7ER (01284) 724979

Provided and run by:
Sanctuary Care Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

21 March 2014

During an inspection looking at part of the service

When we last inspected this service on 30 December 2013 we found that systems were not in place to manage medicines safely. This had also been an issue at the previous inspection and we required the service to make improvements. At this inspection we found that things were much improved. We saw that systems were now in place to manage medicines effectively and to keep people safe. We spoke with six people who used the service and three members of staff during this inspection. We looked at the care plans and medication records of four people, one of whom had been admitted to the service for respite care.

7 January 2014

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We last inspected this service on 30 May 2013 and found that it was failing to effectively obtain people's consent to care, keep people safe from abuse, provide care which met people's needs and to manage medicines. Overall we found that the service was not well led and we set compliance actions which required the service to make improvements within a set timescale.

When we returned to inspect this time we found few improvements. People who use the service told us that they were getting used to the new way that staff support them now that the service is a domiciliary care agency but we still found that this was not well understood. One person told us "Sometimes I have to wait. I don't know why - maybe they are short staffed. It's not too bad here I suppose but not great", The service was supporting people to manage their money but we found that the system employed did not fully protect them from the risk of financial abuse. We have referred these concerns to the local authority.

The service had made a clear commitment to training and supporting its staff but we continued to find that medicines were not safely administered and that people's care plans were not always up to date. Medication and care plan audits to monitor the quality of the care provided did not happen regularly and were not effective.

30 May 2013

During a routine inspection

We found that people were involved in their care plans and signed them to show their agreement. We were not certain that people were making fully informed choices about their future care as some changes were soon to be made to people's care packages. One person told us "I think they are hiding things".

We looked at people's care plans and spoke with people who use their service about their care. Most people were happy with their care. One person said "The staff are lovely. I couldn't live without them.We do a certain amount for ourselves but the carers help me do the things I just can't do for myself".

We found that people using the respite service were not happy and felt they had not received the care they needed. We were concerned because there was very little information telling staff how to support people using the respite service with their needs. One person said "Nobody checked I was ok".

We saw that procedures for administering medicines to people were not keeping people safe and could pose a risk to their health. We found that staff were trained and supported to carry out their roles.

The service was not assessing and monitoring its quality. We saw that audits were carried out but some incidences of poor care were repeated because the service did not analyse why they had happened and did not put things in place to make improvements.

3 May 2012

During a routine inspection

People told us that staff were polite, respectful and they respected people's dignity. They said staff members knocked before entering bedrooms and waited for an answer before entering the room. People were able to make decisions about what they wanted to do during the day, including when they wished to get up and go to bed.

One person using the service told us, 'The staff here are very good to me. They help me to stay active and independent and I trust them completely.'

We were told that people were well cared for and they received their medicines at the times they expected them.

People we spoke with said that there were always enough staff available to help them and that they rarely had to wait for assistance.

Tenant meetings were held and people confirmed they could attend if they wanted to.