Hilltop

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Care plans fully reflected people’s physical, mental, emotional and social needs, including those related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act (2010). They also detailed people’s preferences in relation to their care. Staff had a detailed understanding of people’s care plans, which was evident from our observations and from how they described people’s care.

People and those close to them were regularly and meaningfully involved in planning and making shared decisions about care, so it was centred around people and their needs. Staff supported people to pursue hobbies and interests, as well as getting involved with day to day life at Hilltop. Feedback about care and care planning from all the relatives we spoke with was positive.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

People received joined-up care and treatment that met their assessed needs from services that were co-ordinated and responsive. Staff worked in a planned, coordinated and flexible way to ensure this happened. For example, they liaised with relatives and professionals, and supported people to attend healthcare appointments.

The provider was exceptional at developing appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats tailored to individual needs.

The service followed the Accessible Information Standard. People consistently received accessible information about their care, treatment and support, how to keep themselves safe and how to report any issues of concern. This supported their active involvement in daily life and decision making. It was tailored to their individual communication needs and was presented in multiple ways, for example, on pictorial noticeboard displays and discussed individually at key worker sessions. Where information was not readily available, staff created bespoke materials, such as social stories, photo cards, cards with symbols and signs, and easy read documents. The provider’s speech and language therapist was involved in developing and reviewing these, to ensure they met people’s individual needs.

In line with the Accessible Information Standard, each person’s communication needs were identified, assessed in detail, highlighted, shared as needed and reviewed. People’s preferred communication methods were clearly set out in their care plans. People were involved in keeping their communication plans and tools up to date; for example, a person had worked with staff to produce a dictionary of the unique signs they used.

Staff communicated with people effectively, following their personalised communication plans. The provider supported staff to develop the skills they needed to communicate effectively with people living at Hilltop. This included receiving training, ongoing learning initiatives at the service and input from the provider’s speech and language therapist. Staff demonstrated exceptional understanding of people and their communication styles by interpreting readily what people’s sounds and gestures meant and providing support accordingly. This ability to meet people’s needs by responding to subtle cues was reflected in the calm atmosphere at the service.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

People and their families were encouraged to give feedback and raise complaints about their experience in ways that suited them. The service had received such feedback, which relatives confirmed the provider acted upon promptly to their satisfaction. The registered manager confirmed there had been no complaints.

The provider made sure people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

The Hilltop premises were comfortable and accessible. There were indoor and outdoor spaces for people to spend time in if they wanted calm and quiet.

Each person had a health passport, which helped ensure people could get the care and treatment they needed from healthcare services. These included key information about the person that healthcare staff would need to know to provide safe, effective, respectful care.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who were most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

Staff understood how the Equality Act (2010) applied to their role. They treated people fairly and tailored care and support to meet individuals’ needs and preferences. They were supportive of other organisations addressing barriers people might experience due to their learning disability. For example, a church attended by some people living at Hilltop had contacted the service for advice on how to communicate more effectively with people who communicated in ways other than spoken language. As a result, the congregation decided to complete a basic course in a sign language commonly used by people with a learning disability.

Leaders and staff were alert to the need to challenge discrimination and inequality that could disadvantage people at Hilltop, whether from individuals, organisational processes and culture, or wider society. For example, the manager was aware of local misgivings when Hilltop first opened. Over time, these attitudes changed as the service became a valued and respected part of the community.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

Staff supported people and their families to plan for life changes, including ageing and health deterioration. At the time of our inspection nobody was receiving end of life care.