Hillcroft Residential Care Home

Updated 24 November 2023

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 undertaken by an inspector 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.

Service and service type

Hillcroft Residential Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Hillcroft Residential Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 8 November 2023 and ended on 9 November 2023.

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 9 people that used the service and 14 relatives. We spoke with 10 members of staff including care staff, kitchen staff, the deputy manager and the registered manager.

We looked at a range of records including 3 people’s care plans and medicine records. We looked at health and safety records, staff rotas and audits. We looked at policies and procedures and 3 staff recruitment files.

Updated 24 November 2023

About the service

Hillcroft Residential Care Home is a care home providing personal care to up to 34 people. The service provides support to older people, people living with dementia and younger adults. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people using the service.

The home is set over 3 floors and there is a secure unit for people with dementia. There are communal areas for people to use and parking facilities for visitors.

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

People were supported to take their medicines and staff assessed risks to people’s health and wellbeing. We have made recommendations regarding storage of some medicines, and fire safety. People were supported by enough staff to meet their needs, and staff knew people well. The home was clean and comfortable, and we observed staff wearing PPE. People were protected from the risk of abuse and from the risk of mistakes being repeated due to effective systems and processes. People told us they felt safe; 1 person said, “The staff are wonderful and give me reassurance. Staff are always around so I feel safe and don’t get lonely.”

Staff completed person centred care plans that included detailed information about people’s needs, choices and preferences. People spoke highly of the food, and we observed a range of healthy choices. People could personalise their bedrooms, and communal areas were fit for purpose. People were supported by well-trained staff who had the right knowledge, skills and experience.

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.

We found a positive culture at the home. People and their relatives spoke highly of the staff, and staff told us they loved their jobs. Staff said the current registered manager had made a lot of changes which had improved the service, and said they felt supported in their roles.

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

Rating at the last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 10 December 2019).

Why we inspected

We received concerns in relation to the management of safeguarding issues, and cleanliness and hygiene. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, effective and well-led only.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

Follow up

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