Archived: Hillside

Updated 7 July 2016

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 5 May 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hour notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service; we needed to be sure that someone would be in the office. The inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector, a specialist advisor in governance and an expert by experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We also reviewed all the information we held about the service, including statutory notifications. We contacted the local authority and Healthwatch. We were not made aware of any concerns by the local authority. Healthwatch feedback stated they had no comments or concerns. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

At the time of this inspection there were 65 people receiving personal care from the service. We spoke on the telephone, with seven people who used the service, two relatives and five care workers. We visited the provider’s office where we spoke with the registered manager, the training manager, the operations manager and two regional managers. We also spent some time looking at documents and records that related to people’s care and support and the management of the service. We looked at five people’s care plans and five people’s medication records.

Updated 7 July 2016

This was an announced inspection carried out on the 5 May 2016. This was the first inspection of the service since they became a newly registered service, due to a change of address in August 2015.

Hillside is based in Leeds and is regulated to provide personal care to people living in their own homes.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People who used the service told us they felt safe with the staff and the care they were provided with. We found people were cared for by appropriately trained staff who were supported to understand how to deliver good care. Robust recruitment procedures were in place. Risk assessments were in place to help ensure people received safe care.

People received assistance with meals and healthcare when required. We found there were appropriate arrangements for the safe handling of medicines.

The registered manager and staff were able to demonstrate an understanding of the principles of

the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Staff told us they would always ensure they had the consent of people who used the service before they provided any care or support. People who used the service confirmed this.

The care plans we looked at were person centred and were reviewed on a regular basis to make sure they provided accurate and up to date information. The staff we spoke with were able to describe how individual people preferred their care and support to be delivered and the importance of treating people with privacy, dignity and respect in their own home. People who used the service told us staff always provided the care they required.

There were quality assurance systems in place to help drive forward improvements in the service. Action plans were not always generated to ensure improvements could be measured; however, the registered manager said they would make sure these were in place in the future.

People who used the service, relatives and staff spoke highly of the registered manager and their commitment to the service.