Hillside

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 70 (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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff spoke kindly and compassionately when describing people and the emotions they expressed. People had guidelines showing how they presented when happy and when distressed. This allowed staff to tailor their interactions, to listen and offer compassionate support.

There were inconsistencies in the provider’s approach to treating people as individuals in line with their needs and preferences.

One person’s identified communication needs were not fully met. Makaton was used to help them communicate. Makaton is a method of communication that had been developed to help people who struggle with natural speech. It uses sounds and speech alongside symbols and signs derived from British Sign Language. Staff had not received any literature or training in Makaton or the signs used to communicate. The manager had organised Makaton training in the new year.

Staff had access to people’s support needs and preferences. People’s care plans reflected their strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were supported with choices and could chose to have their care at different times of the day, for example, they could choose when to get out of bed, when to bathe and where to have their meals.

The management team assessed the risks to ensure people had the opportunity to engage in activities in their home and in the local community. Behaviour support plans held essential information to reduce the likelihood of someone having a difficult day. One health professional told us people’s independence had increased, ‘Staff have been open, collaborative and responsive to discussions about reducing restrictive practices and making sure support plans are followed.’

People were supported to maintain relationships with their families. There were no restrictions on when families and friends could visit. Staff supported people to make calls to loved ones and drove them to visit relatives when required.

The provider listened to people’s needs, expressed views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Care plans were personalised. Staff were knowledgeable on how to recognise different ways in which each person communicated discomfort, pain or distress, including both verbal and non-verbal cues. With 1 person they knew how to respond to emotional communication and address signs of distress and frustration. With the second person management and staff met their needs but were still in the process of getting to know them and respond in the most appropriate and consistent way.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they felt valued, were listened to and had access to support if they needed it.

Morale appeared high and staff praised the leadership and teamwork within Hillside. The provider had created a separate room for staff to relax in to promote their wellbeing. One staff member told us, “[Manager] is a really nice manager. She listens.”