Archived: Hillersdon Court

Updated 26 March 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 10 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 26 March 2021

We inspected Hillersdon Court on 10 and 11 April 2018 and our visit was unannounced. Hillersdon Court 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.

Hillersdon Court accommodates up to 20 people who require assistance with personal care. The service specialises in providing support to older people and people with dementia. At the time of this inspection 15 people were living in the service. People had varying levels of care and support needs. Some people were independently mobile and others required assistance with all aspects of their care. The home was on two floors with seven bedrooms on the ground floor and 11 bedrooms on the first floor.

There was a registered manager in post. ‘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.’

At the last inspection in January 2017 the home was rated requires improvement, there was a breach of regulation and a requirement notice was issued. The breach was in relation ineffective systems to assess and monitor the quality of services and in relation to record keeping. We asked the provider to complete an action plan to show improvements they would make, what they would do, and by when, to improve the key questions in well-led to at least good.

We carried out this inspection to check the provider had made suitable improvements and to ensure they had met regulatory requirements. We found improvements had been made in relation to the areas identified at the last inspection but we made a recommendation to improve record keeping.

There were good recruitment procedures and enough staff to meet people’s individual needs. Staff knew how to safeguard people from abuse and what they should do if they thought someone was at risk. Incidents and accidents were well managed. People’s medicines were managed safely.

People’s needs were effectively met because staff had the training and skills they needed to do so. Staff were well supported with training and appraisal. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible. People were encouraged to be involved in decisions and choices when it was appropriate. Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) assessments were completed as required and in line with legal requirements. Staff had attended MCA and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) training.

People were treated with dignity and respect by kind and caring staff. Staff had a good understanding of the care and support needs of people and had developed positive relationships with them. People were supported to attend health appointments, such as the GP or dentist. People had enough to eat and drink and menus were varied and well balanced. Feedback from visiting professionals was very positive. One professional told us, “I have always found that the staff at Hillersdon are friendly and appear to go about their business in a caring and professional manner.”

People were supported to take part in a range of activities and regular one to one time was provided to people. Visitors told us they were welcomed and people were supported to maintain important relationships and friendships.

The environment was clean and well maintained. The provider had ensured safety checks had been carried out and all equipment had been serviced. Fire safety checks were all up to date. There were on-going improvements to the environment, for example the dining room and lounge areas had been swapped and feedback received regarding this change had been very positive.

Feedback was regularly sought from people, relatives and staff. People were encouraged to share their views on a daily basis. People and relatives were given information on how to make a complaint and said they would be comfortable raising a concern or complaint if they needed to.