Hilltop

Updated 9 March 2026

Date of assessment: 9 to 19 March 2026

We undertook this assessment because the service had not been inspected since it was registered in 2023.

The provider had a very clear shared vision, strategy and culture committed to quality, care and respect that enabled the principles of Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture to become a reality for people. There was a strong proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness, honesty and learning leading to improvement. The provider and staff shared a commitment to safeguarding people and upholding their right to live in dignity, free from neglect and abuse. This was reflected in the strong emphasis amongst staff at all levels on least restrictive practice, positive behavioural support, and preventing the development of a closed culture where abuse and neglect were ignored.

A highly personalised, holistic approach to each person’s care resulted in positive outcomes for them. Managers and staff shared the expectation that thorough monitoring of people’s care, treatment and outcomes could lead to further improvements for people. People’s named key workers passionately advocated for them and set goals and objectives with their circle of support that reflected the life they wanted to live. Staff celebrated people’s achievements and proudly described how people had been supported to develop skills and enhance their lives.

There was an emphasis on people having the best possible health and well-being outcomes to boost their quality of life. Staff worked innovatively and collaboratively towards this with health and social care professionals.

The provider continued to review and plan the service to meet people’s needs. They prioritised safeguarding, appointing two managers as safeguarding leads across their services to oversee ongoing learning and improvements to care arising from safeguarding incidents. They were recruiting more specialist staff such as a recent appointment of a speech and language therapist and a learning disability nurse consultant. This ensured people had prompt and unlimited access to specialist input to further individualise their support.

We have assessed the service against Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

Updated 9 March 2026

We met 5 people living at Hilltop, spending time with some of them, and spoke with 3 relatives. We observed people in communal areas to assess how staff interacted with them and whether they received good care.

There was a calm, homely atmosphere at Hilltop throughout our visits. People were comfortable in the company of the staff supporting them. Staff were kind and respectful towards people and did not rush them. They supported people to communicate in their preferred manner.

Relatives praised the quality of the support their family member received. They described significant positive outcomes for the person since moving to Hilltop, exceeding their expectations. A relative described how they were “really impressed” with the support their family member had received to manage health issues, which achieved something they had not thought possible.

Relatives valued their open, honest and regular communication with the staff team. They said managers and staff had been supportive towards them. Comments included, “They were there for me if I had any questions” and “Don't have a bad word to say… They have been very accommodating.”

Relatives confirmed they were involved in formal and informal care reviews. They valued the competence of staff and said there were always enough staff on duty to provide the support people needed.