Hill View

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated requires improvement. This meant the management and leadership was inconsistent. Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.

The service was in breach of legal regulation in relation to governance at the service.

This service scored 62 (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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff and people using the service felt there was a positive culture at the service. Communication channels between people, staff and management were open and effective. One staff member said, “We all get on well here, the managers are supportive and ensure people’s needs are met.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The registered manager was passionate about providing safe and effective person-centred care to the people living at Hill View. They were open to suggestions for improving the service. A person using the service said, “The registered manager is always around, and she seems very good. You can talk to her when you want, and she seems to listen.” A relative told us, “The registered manager is first class. She doesn’t stand any nonsense and will help out if needed. She knows every person living here and she speaks to them all.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

A whistleblowing policy was in place. Staff were aware and felt confident that they would be listened to by the registered manager. There were processes in place to allow people, relatives and staff to raise concerns and / or share ideas. People and relatives told us the registered manager was very approachable and addressed any concerns they had immediately. One relative told us, “The registered manager is the most helpful person ever! Nothing is too much for her, I speak to her frequently, and she gives freely of her time.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Policies and procedures were in place to support workforce equality and diversity. Staff reported being treated fairly and equally.

The provider did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate.

A good governance policy was available. We found that it was not always being followed, for example it states, ‘an annual report will also include an action plan for the forth coming year which will improve the standard of the services.’ The service improvement plan we were provided with, showed us this was updated each month following any audits that had been completed. We looked at the last 3 months which showed mainly maintenance and redecoration issues within the service.

The provider did not demonstrate effective oversight of some risks within the service. Audits were completed monthly by leaders but failed to identify gaps we found during our assessment, for example, the hot water temperature in the sink was not regulated. Record keeping required improvement, and the electronic care system needed to be reviewed to ensure care plans were consistently updated with accurate and current information about individuals' care. Further work was needed to ensure audits were effective in identifying and addressing shortfalls and ensuring accurate and contemporaneous records were being maintained. Although the issues that we found during the inspection were promptly acted upon, their own governance system had not identified them.

Whilst we found no evidence of impact for people using the service, the failure to address areas of risk and record keeping and follow policies to ensure the safety of the service placed people at potential risk of harm.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The registered manager worked in partnership with the local authority and were keen to listen and learn to make improvements to ensure that they provided good care to all.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. Staff actively contributed to safe, effective practice and improvements to care were discussed in daily handover and staff meetings

The provider had systems and policies in place to ensure learning and improvement. We noted that lessons learned had been put in place, and where concerns were identified, these were appropriately communicated to the staff team. The registered manager was very responsive to feedback on how to improve the experience for people living at the service and keen to put it in place.