Hilbre Manor EMI Residential Care Home

Hilbre Manor is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 15 people in one adapted building over four floors with lift access to each floor. At the time of our inspection 13 people were living at the home.

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

People told us that they felt safe and comfortable at the home; we saw that they were relaxed in the company of staff members. One person told us, “I get on with everyone here.” Another person said, “There is always something to do.” A third person told us, “We have quite a bit of fun.”

People told us that they were encouraged to make decisions and were listened to. They were supported to express their views and make as many decisions as possible about their care, support and day to day lifestyle. One person told us, “We are listened to.” Another person said, “If you want it, name it and you get it.”

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.

People told us that the staff members treat them kindly. One person said, “They make you feel good; even during the hard times.” Staff took the time to consider people’s experience and ensure that they took the steps needed to make sure people were content and had what they needed. One staff member told us, “We talk to people all day, have a few minutes natter, the people are lovely.”

People’s family members gave very positive feedback regarding how people were treated at Hilbre Manor. One family member told us, “You can tell that they love her.” Another person’s relative said, “I like the atmosphere at the home.” A third family member told us, “[Name] is absolutely thriving… There are activities every day, they make sure people are stimulated. My mum is over the moon.”

Steps were taken by the provider to ensure people received the care and support they needed to be safe and to protect people from the risk of abuse. People’s medication was administered safely, and the provider had plans in place and had taken appropriate steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The home was clean, there was a dedicated housekeeping team who were well equipped for their role and kept records of the tasks they had completed. The environment of the home was designed to meet people’s needs safely and to promote their independence and wellbeing.

Staff members told us that they felt supported to be effective in their roles by the provider. They described the registered manager and other senior staff as approachable, open and responsive; they told us that they helped them to be effective in their roles supporting and enabling people.

The provider had oversight of the safety and quality of the service being provided and had a clear understanding of the management of risk at the home. The home had a very positive culture that promoted people’s choice, independence and wellbeing. People praised the atmosphere at the home and the approach from the registered manager and staff members.

We made a recommendation regarding fire escape routes.

There was a culture of learning and continuous improvement at the service.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service under the previous provider was inadequate (published 1 May 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. Since then the provider for this location has changed. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was not in breach of regulations.

At our last inspection we made recommendations regarding infection prevention and control practices and staffing levels and the deployment of staff in supporting roles at the service. At this inspection we found the new provider had acted on our recommendations and had made improvements.

This service has been in Special Measures since 1 May 2021. During this inspection the new provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.