CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Hill House Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that the home was preventing infection, using protective equipment safely, accessing testing and keeping its infection control policy up to date.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Good
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, September 2020
Hill House Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found appropriate infection control arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The inspection took place on 18 August 2020. It was a targeted inspection focused on infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic. It was announced in advance.
Inspectors found good practice in visitor screening, social distancing, cleaning, testing and the use of protective equipment. They were also assured that the home had arrangements for preventing and managing infection outbreaks.
The home supported visits with relatives and friends in sheltered garden areas. It also provided ground-floor rooms with garden access so relatives could visit people receiving end-of-life care without entering the home.
The service was inspected but not rated. This means the report does not give a full quality rating for the home or a rated score for Safe.
Family contact
The home supported visits in sheltered garden areas, with social distancing, staggered times and cleaning between visits.
“People were supported to have visits from their relatives and friends in sheltered areas of the garden where two metre social distancing was observed.” from the report
End-of-life visits
Ground-floor rooms with direct garden access allowed relatives to visit people receiving end-of-life care without entering the main home.
“The provider has made ground floor 'ensuite' rooms available with doors directly accessing the garden.” from the report
Staff preparation
Staff received training and support about infection control, protective equipment and how to support people living with dementia during the pandemic.
“This included best practice for infection control and the use of PPE.” from the report
Testing arrangements
The home followed government guidance for testing people living there and staff. It also took part in whole-home testing research.
“The provider had appropriate arrangements to test people and staff for Covid 19 and was following government guidance on testing.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How have your visitor screening, face covering and handwashing arrangements changed since the inspection?
- 02What testing arrangements are now in place for people living here and staff?
- 03How do you support people living with dementia to understand infection control measures?
- 04How can relatives visit someone receiving end-of-life care, and are the garden-access rooms still available?
- 05What training and support do staff currently receive about infection prevention and protective equipment?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the coronavirus pandemic; the service was inspected but not rated and the report does not assess all areas of care. This explanation was written from the published report of 9 September 2020 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, July 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care across all five areas.
This was an unannounced inspection on 4 June 2019. The inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and a healthcare professional. They looked at care records, staff files and quality checks, and observed how staff and residents interacted.
The inspectors found that people felt safe. Medicines were given as prescribed, the home was clean, and there were enough staff to meet people's needs. Staff were trained, caring and respectful. People had access to healthcare, suitable food and drink, activities and support that reflected their individual needs.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. This was the same overall rating as the previous inspection, published in November 2017.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they felt safe, and staff knew how to recognise and report abuse. Risks were recorded and reviewed.
“Everybody we spoke with told us they felt safe living at Hill House Nursing Home and with the way they were supported by staff.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw a calm atmosphere and found that staff respected people's privacy, dignity, choices and independence.
“We observed and people and their relatives told us staff respected their privacy and dignity.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's preferences, routines, interests and communication needs. Staff knew people well and adapted support where needed.
“Care plans reflected people's preferences, routines and interests.” from the report
Good activities and relationships
People had a range of activities, including one-to-one time for those who did not want group activities. The home also supported visits and relationships.
“People who preferred not to participate in group activities had the opportunity to spend time one-to-one with the activities co-ordinator.” from the report
Strong quality checks
The home used regular checks on care plans, staff training and the care being delivered. Concerns were shared with staff to support learning.
“The provider had established systems to assess and monitor the quality of care people received.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How many staff are usually on duty for each shift, and how do you cover sickness or other unplanned absences?
- 02How are medicines checked now, and how do you make sure records remain accurate?
- 03How was the move from paper care records to the electronic system completed, and can families see the relevant care plans?
- 04What activities are currently available for people who prefer one-to-one support rather than group activities?
- 05How are end-of-life wishes recorded and reviewed with residents and their relatives?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, and the previous Good ratings remained unchanged. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 July 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Hill House Care Home
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- September 2020Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- July 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2016Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 January 2011.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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Most charge £980 to £1,230 a week. 77 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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