Archived: Hilldales Residential Care Home

Updated 19 March 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 9 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 19 March 2021

This comprehensive inspection took place on 6 June and 11 July 2018. It was unannounced on the first day which was carried out by one adult social care inspector and an expert by experience. We arranged the second day of inspection which was completed by the inspector.

Following the last inspection in February 2017, we asked the provider to complete an action plan to show what they would do and by when to improve the key question Is the service well-led? This was because we found a breach of Regulation 17 (Good Governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. At that inspection we found people were not protected as quality monitoring systems were not fully effective and people’s care plans lacked up to date information about their care and treatment needs.

The provider submitted an improvement action plan on the 1 June 2017 to address these concerns, stating what they intended to do and when this would be achieved.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made so all the regulations had been met in respect to the breaches found at the previous inspection.

Hilldales Residential Care Home is a large three storey building, originally built as four houses around the turn of the twentieth century. Modifications have been made so that the properties are interconnected internally. There are communal areas on the ground floor and bedrooms on all floors of the building. Externally there is a paved area to the front of the houses and small courtyards to the side and rear which people have access to.

The home provides accommodation and personal care for up to 56 adults who have needs arising from alcohol problems or mental health issues. Some people are also living with a physical disability. At this inspection 33 people were living at the home when we visited.

There was a manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission in May 2016. 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. The registered manager was supported by a team of senior staff. Together they shared a vision of the service which was described in the home’s statement of purpose: “The aim of Hilldales Care Home is to offer men and women over the age of 25 who may have mental health problems and/or alcohol problems the opportunity to live in a caring environment with support from our care staff.”

To support these aims, the registered manager and senior team had worked with staff to ensure they had the necessary skills and knowledge necessary to meet people’s needs. Staff were well trained and knew people well. This enabled them to work with people confidently, showing care and compassion. Staff were alert to changes in people’s presentation and contacted health and social care professionals when necessary to support the person. Staff understood how to protect people and knew what to do if they thought someone was being abused.

People were really positive about living at Hilldales, many commented on the improvements that had been made over the last few years. They now described the home as comfortable, clean, well maintained and nice to live in. They were also positive about the meals they received. People were supported to do activities of their choice both in the home and in the local community.

People’s risks, needs and preferences had been assessed and, where possible, discussed with them to ensure that care plans were developed to meet these assessments. Medicines were stored, administered and recorded correctly.

Health professionals commented on how the service had improved and how they felt that staff were very responsive to people’s needs. Care plans were up to date and had been reviewed regularly, including when a person’s needs had changed.

There was a quality assurance and governance system which checked the quality and safety of the service. Where areas for improvement were identified, actions were taken to address the issues.

Since the inspection a company is now providing management support and is running the home. Dr Kywe is still the registered provider.

Please note that the summary section will be used to populate the CQC website. Providers will be asked to share this section with the people who use their service and the staff that work there.