Archived: Hill Barn

Updated 26 February 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 22 January 2021 and was announced.

Updated 26 February 2021

This inspection took place on 29 August 2018 and was unannounced.

Hill Barn provides, accommodation and personal care for up to 26 people, some who are living with dementia. At the time of this inspection 22 people were living in the home.

Hill Barn is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

At our last inspection in April 2017, we found two breaches in regulation and rated the service as requires improvement. Not all areas of the building were sufficiently cleaned and this posed an increased risk of infection and some systems and processes to monitor the quality of the service were ineffective. After the comprehensive inspection, the provider wrote and told us what they would do to meet legal requirements in relation to the breaches. At this inspection, we found the service had made improvements under the questions is the service caring, responsive and well-led? The service is now rated as good.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were safeguarded from the risk of harm. There were effective safeguarding procedures in place and staff had received safeguarding training.

There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs. Safe recruitment practices were followed.

People were supported to eat a healthy and balanced diet to help maintain their wellbeing. People were assisted to access a range of healthcare professionals.

People were asked to consent to their care and support. The service operated within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff felt well supported and received training relevant to their roles.

People were comfortable and relaxed when engaging with staff and managers. Staff were positive about their work and the support provided. People were treated with dignity and respect.

Staff knew people they supported and provided a personalised service in a caring way. Care plans provided information to staff on how to meet people care needs. People were given opportunities to make choices about their daily lives. They were able to choose whether or not to participate in a range of activities within the service and received the support they needed to help them to do this.

The service had an open and inclusive culture and staff were positive about the support they received from staff and the registered manager.

Compliments were received about the service and complaints investigated, responded to and resolved where possible to the complainants’ satisfaction. The registered manager and their staff team worked together with other organisations to ensure people’s well-being.

Quality monitoring systems and processes were in place to help drive continual improvements. An action plan had been developed which recorded where action needed to be taken. Feedback was being sought to capture people views on the overall quality of the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.