Archived: Hillview

Updated 21 July 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. Whilst there was no registered manager at the time of our inspection, the provider had appointed one and they had started their registration process with the Care Quality Commission.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 30 May 2022 and ended on 13 June 2022. We visited the service on 31 May 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with six members of staff including the manager, area manager, shift leader and support workers. We observed interactions between staff and people who used the service.

We reviewed a range of records. We looked at four staff files in relation to safe recruitment. We reviewed three people’s medication administration records. We reviewed four people’s care records. A variety of records in relation to the management of the service, including policies and procedures, were reviewed.

After the inspection

We spoke with four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We sought feedback from two professionals who had worked with the service. We looked at quality assurance records and people’s care records. We reviewed staff supervision records.

Updated 21 July 2022

About the service

Hillview Merstham is a supported living service providing support and personal care for people with a learning disability and autism in one house and an annex with shared communal areas. At the time of the inspection there were 11 people using the service. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection, there were five people being supported with personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, Right care, Right culture.

Right support

People had individual goals and objectives and staff supported them to work towards these. Staff supported people to live as independently as possible and be in control of their daily lives. People were provided with a choice in all their decision-making and their relatives were included throughout. People’s risks in relation to their care were managed and people were able to live independent lives. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people’s needs and people received their one-to-one support hours appropriately. We were assured the service were following safe infection prevention and control procedures to keep people safe.

Right care

People who used the service and their relatives told us that they felt supported by staff in a kind, caring and dignified way. People’s differences were respected by staff and they ensured people were living in a way that respected their human rights. People told us their right to privacy was respected and that the care provided was consistent and delivered by staff who knew them well.

People’s right to privacy was respected and there was a consistency of the care provided by staff who had been working there for a long time and who knew people well. The service was situated in a residential area and there were no outward signs to differentiate it from other houses in the street. Whilst the service was large, the house did not stand out from other properties on the street.

Right culture

The culture of the service was open, inclusive and empowered people to live confident lives. People told us they felt happy living at the service and that the culture was open and inclusive. People told us they felt confident to live empowered lives with the support of staff. We observed staff interacting in a kind and compassionate way with people who used the service and amongst themselves. People who used the service, their relatives and staff were complimentary about the service and the leadership. Management had undertaken regular audits to look at lessons that could be learnt and made appropriate improvements to the service. People and their relatives told us they felt engaged in the running of the service and were able to express their views to improve the care provided.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 30 April 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and due to the time since it first registered with the Care Quality Commission.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service which will help inform when we next inspect.