CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Hill House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control, including PPE, testing, safe admissions, hygiene and outbreak management. The provider also said it had measures to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not covered by this targeted inspection.
- Caring?
- Outstanding
- This area was not covered by this targeted inspection.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not covered by this targeted inspection.
- Well-led?
- Good
- This area was not covered by this targeted inspection.
What inspectors found, April 2022
Hill House was inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection control and visiting arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 18 February 2022. Inspectors looked mainly at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and whether COVID-19 staffing pressures affected people.
Inspectors were assured that the home was managing infection risks. This included safe admissions, testing, personal protective equipment, cleaning, social distancing and outbreak arrangements.
The home supported visits through a separate visiting room, a visitor lounge and video or telephone calls. Inspectors also found that the home had arrangements to support people with dementia to isolate safely.
The home was not given an overall rating or a rating for Safe. This report is therefore not a full assessment of the quality of care across all five areas.
Safe visiting
The home used a separate visiting room, a visitor lounge and safety checks to help families visit during the pandemic.
“There was a hand washing facility prior to entering the home with instructions on good hand hygiene.” from the report
Keeping families connected
When visits were not possible, the home supported video and telephone calls and improved its technology to help these work well.
“The provider had bought iPads and upgraded their WiFi to ensure this worked well.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that PPE, testing, hygiene, social distancing and outbreak arrangements were being managed safely.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Safe admissions
The home had COVID-19 testing and isolation arrangements for new admissions, including a separate area for people with dementia who could not self-isolate.
“The provider had a thorough policy for admissions including COVID-19 testing and a zoned area to isolate people on admission from other residents in the home.” from the report
Support from primary care
During the height of the pandemic, the home arranged regular virtual contact with the local GP to reduce infection risks while people were seen.
“At the height of the pandemic the provider had arranged a weekly virtual ward with the local GP to ensure people could be seen but minimising the risk of spreading infection.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are visits arranged now, including visits for essential caregivers and people receiving end-of-life care?
- 02How do you currently manage COVID-19 or other infection risks, including testing, PPE and outbreak arrangements?
- 03What happens when a new resident arrives, and how do you support someone with dementia who cannot self-isolate?
- 04What staffing pressures are affecting the home now, and what measures are in place to protect residents?
- 05How can residents keep in touch with relatives when an in-person visit is not possible?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; the service was not rated and the other quality areas were not covered. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 April 2022 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, October 2017
Rated Good overall; inspectors found outstanding caring and well-organised care, with some privacy and information-security issues.
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 18 September 2017. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals. They observed care, meals, a staff handover and part of a medicines round. They also checked care plans, staff records and management records.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe, Effective, Responsive and Well-led were rated Good. Caring was rated Outstanding. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, good staff training, suitable healthcare support and personalised care.
There were problems with confidential records being left unsecured and with the latest rating not being displayed. The registered manager took immediate action when these issues were raised. The overall rating remained Good, and the home had improved from the previous inspection in Caring and Well-led.
Enough staff
Inspectors found staffing levels were suitable for people's needs. Call bells were answered promptly and staff said people did not have to wait for help.
“There were enough staff to meet people's individual needs.” from the report
Kind and personal care
The home was rated Outstanding for Caring. Staff built warm relationships, respected privacy and dignity, and offered thoughtful support to people and their relatives.
“People, their relatives and health professionals all told us that the service embodied an outstanding caring and empathic ethos, which translated into consistently excellent care being provided.” from the report
Support for relatives
The home created information leaflets about dementia and end of life care. These were intended to help relatives understand and support their loved ones.
“The production of these leaflets had enabled relatives to increase their knowledge and understanding in order to give them the confidence to support their loved ones through living with dementia and end of life care.” from the report
Activities and dementia care
Staff had dementia training and understood people's needs. The home offered regular activities, outings and one-to-one support.
“There was a full activities schedule across the week for people in both the nursing and dementia care units.” from the report
Confidential files unsecured
needs fixingTwo filing cabinets in public areas contained confidential information and were not locked. This meant unauthorised people could potentially access the records.
“We found two filing cabinets located in public areas which contained peoples' confidential information were not locked as required and therefore could potentially be accessed by unauthorised personnel.” from the report
Computer access not locked
needs fixingA computer in a public area was left accessible when a staff member walked away. Inspectors were able to access emails before the computer shut down.
“We observed that a staff member did not 'lock' the keyboard of a computer, located in a public area, when they left it.” from the report
Rating not displayed
minorThe latest inspection rating was not displayed on the website or in the home as required. The provider acted during the inspection to put this right.
“The latest inspection report rating for the location was not displayed on the provider's website as required, nor was it displayed within the service.” from the report
- 01What checks are now in place to make sure confidential paper records in public areas are locked?
- 02How do you prevent unauthorised access to computers and emails in shared areas?
- 03What has changed since the inspection to make sure the latest CQC rating is displayed?
- 04How are medicines records and fluid-intake charts checked for accuracy?
- 05How would you involve relatives in dementia care and end of life planning?
This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five key questions, with ratings compared with the previous inspection on 28 and 29 September 2015. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 October 2017 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
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- April 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 July 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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26 live-in carers within about an hour of Hampshire
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 14 years' experience on average.
“I cannot recommend Prisca highly enough, she is one in a million.”
“He stayed with her throughout the pandemic, refusing to visit his own family, who lived nearby, to reduce the risk of infection.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.