During an assessment under our new approach
Date of assessment: 20 November 2025. Hillside is registered to provide personal care and/or accommodation for up to 3 people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
Accommodation is provided in self-contained flats in the main building and 1 annex. At the time of assessment there were 2 people living at Hillside.
We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture.’ This guidance supported judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choice, independence, and access to local communities that most people take for granted. The provider supported people to access their local community, participate in valued activities and maintain family links. People had separate apartments which reflected their preferences and promoted their privacy. There were communal areas which people could choose to use. This is the first assessment of this service .
Not all staff had received the provider’s mandatory training to protect people from improper treatment. Systems in place ensured medicines were administered safely. However, one medication record was not consistently completed. The manager took action to promote effective record keeping.
Staff said they knew how to keep people safe and were able to share person – centred strategies that promoted positive outcomes for people. Staff told us they had received training that had increased their competence and skills to manage challenging situations more effectively. The provider had systems to review incidents, and safeguarding processes were robust.
The manager led by example to foster a positive and caring culture. The manager communicated effectively with relatives and staff. One staff member told us, “I have been heard, when I have spoken out.”
Safe recruitment practices were in place and staffing levels reflected the level of support people had been commissioned for by the local authority. They worked with the local authority to help ensure people’s individual staffing levels were reflective of their needs.