Hillswood House Care Home

Updated 27 July 2023

Inspection team

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 2 inspectors who visited the care home and an Expert by Experience who made telephone calls to relatives following the inspection visit. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Hillswood House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and we looked at both during this inspection.

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.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. However, there was a manager , who was going to register with CQC. We will review this application when it is received.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

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 of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 3 people living in the service and 13 relatives and 2 visiting professionals. We spoke with 8 members of staff including the nominated individual, the manager, the deputy manager, senior care staff, care staff, housekeeping staff, the business manager and maintenance staff. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We looked at 5 people's care records and multiple medicine records. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including building safety records, audits and accident and incident records were also reviewed. After the inspection we continued to seek clarification from the provider and manager to validate evidence found.

Updated 27 July 2023

About the service

Hillswood House is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 55 people. The service provides support to adults with physical disabilities, sensory impairments, mental health conditions and dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 28 people using the service.

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

Regular building safety checks were completed however some were not robust enough in identifying areas of concern that we found on inspection. Staff did not always maintain good standards of cleanliness within the home to ensure infection control was promoted.

People had risk assessments in place to keep them safe and medicines were generally safely managed. Lessons were being learned when things went wrong. People were kept safe from the risk of harm and abuse. There were enough safely recruited staff.

People had person-centred care plans. Staff received suitable training and specific training for people at the end of their life. People were supported to have a balanced and suitable diet and to drink enough. Staff worked with other health professionals and made appropriate referrals. The service was being redecorated to meet the needs of the people who lived there.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect. Staff listened to people and their relatives. People’s communication needs were considered in their care plans. People were supported to participate in activities and an activities coordinator had been recently recruited. People, relatives and staff were able to raise concerns and felt they would be listened to.

Quality checks were not always effective in identifying concerns. Accuracy issues in relation to record keeping was identified. An action plan was in place to improve the service. People, relatives and staff felt the manager was approachable. Staff worked in partnership with other organisations to support people. The manager understood their duty of candour.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

We registered this service on 2 March 2022 and this was the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We were prompted to carry out this inspection due to concerns we received about the management of the service, medicines management and infection control. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

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