CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Hillcroft Nursing Home Caton Green
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm, and risks were assessed and managed. Medicines were generally managed safely, but guidance for variable-dose, as-needed medicines did not say when to offer them or what dose to give.
- Effective?
- Good
- People received suitable care, food, drinks and support from health professionals. Records did not always identify who made decisions for people who lacked capacity, so the home was asked to improve its documentation.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff were kind, patient and respectful, and supported people's choices and independence. Inspectors noted that people needing two staff for personal care were sometimes referred to as "Doubles", which did not promote person-centred care.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were detailed and reflected people's needs and preferences. The home offered activities, supported communication needs, helped people maintain relationships and had a complaints process.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home was organised and managers had systems to monitor quality, incidents and accidents. Staff, relatives and people using the service gave positive feedback about how it was managed.
What inspectors found, July 2019
Hillcroft Nursing Home Caton Green was rated Good; inspectors found kind, safe care, with some records and medicines guidance needing improvement.
Inspectors visited without warning on 3 and 4 July 2019. They spoke with people living at the home, relatives, health professionals, managers and staff. They observed care, checked records and medicines, and looked around the building.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. People were generally safe, treated kindly, supported to make choices and helped to take part in activities and community life.
Inspectors found three areas needing attention. Records did not always show how decisions were made for people who might lack mental capacity. Guidance for variable-dose, as-needed medicines was incomplete. Staff sometimes used language that did not support person-centred care.
Kind and respectful care
Staff were observed treating people with dignity and responding calmly when someone became agitated. People and relatives spoke positively about staff.
“Staff treated people with dignity and offered compassionate support.” from the report
Activities and relationships
The home offered varied activities and helped people stay connected with relatives, churches and the local community. Inspectors saw examples of people becoming more socially involved.
“One person's challenging behaviours had diminished as their participation in meaningful activities increased.” from the report
Clean and safe environment
The home was clean and maintained, with infection control measures in place. Risks such as falls and emergencies were assessed and planned for.
“People were protected against the risk of infection.” from the report
Good management oversight
Managers used audits and reviews to monitor the service and learn from incidents. Staff said they felt supported and able to raise concerns.
“The service had quality assurance processes and systems to monitor and improve the service.” from the report
Mental capacity records
needs fixingRecords did not always identify who made decisions for people who might lack capacity. Inspectors recommended following guidance on recording these decisions.
“However, there was a lack of documentation that showed the provider was working within the principles of the MCA.” from the report
As-needed medicines guidance
needs fixingNurses used their judgement when a medicine had a variable dose, but written guidance did not explain when to offer it or which dose to give. The manager said the paperwork would be reviewed.
“There was no guidance on when to offer as and when medicines and the suitable dose to administer.” from the report
Language used by staff
minorInspectors found that staff sometimes used language that did not reflect person-centred care. The manager said staff would be reminded about positive language.
“When people required two staff to support them with their personal care, they were referred to as, "Doubles.” from the report
- 01How do you now record who made decisions for a person who lacks capacity, and how are best-interest decisions documented?
- 02What written instructions do nurses now have for variable-dose, as-needed medicines?
- 03How do you check that staff use respectful, person-centred language when describing people's care needs?
- 04How are staffing levels reviewed for each unit as people's care needs change?
- 05How will you keep families informed about care reviews, complaints and any changes to a person's needs?
This was a planned inspection that looked at all five CQC questions, the care provided and the home environment. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 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.
What inspectors found, January 2017
Hillcroft Nursing Home Caton Green was rated Good in every area; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care with strong management.
This was an unannounced inspection on 15 December 2016. One inspector spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff and managers. They observed care, mealtimes and activities, and checked care records, medicines records, staff files and safety documents.
The home was supporting 31 people, with space for up to 35. Inspectors found enough suitably trained staff, safe medicines arrangements and appropriate risk assessments. The home was clean and well maintained. People were supported with food, drinks and healthcare needs.
People and relatives described staff as kind and caring. Care plans included people's routines, preferences and interests. Activities were available, and there was a complaints process. All five areas were rated Good. This means inspectors found the service met the expected standards at the time of this inspection.
Staffing and safety
Inspectors found staffing levels suitable for people's needs. Staff had time to respond safely and call bells were answered promptly.
“We noted staff were not rushing and had time to respond to people in a safe and timely manner.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff built warm relationships with people and protected their dignity and privacy. They knew people's backgrounds, interests and preferred ways of being addressed.
“We noted people's dignity and privacy were maintained throughout our inspection.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans gave staff detailed information about people's routines, likes, dislikes and support needs. Staff followed these instructions in practice.
“People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs, likes and dislikes.” from the report
Activities and social life
The home offered a weekly programme including music, hand massage, games, walks and community visits. People could also use the garden, salon and visiting services.
“Activities included, hand massage, talking newspaper, music and dance, dominoes and a walk in the garden.” from the report
Management and quality checks
Managers were visible and approachable. The provider used audits, meetings, feedback and reviews of accidents and near misses to monitor safety and quality.
“The management team had oversight of and acted to maintain the quality of the service provided.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How will staffing levels and staff skills be maintained across the two units, including when someone’s behaviour may challenge?
- 02How will you make sure my relative’s care plan reflects their routines, preferences, interests and communication needs?
- 03If my relative lacks capacity or is subject to a DoLS authorisation, how will you involve them, their relatives and professionals in best-interest decisions?
- 04What activities and outings would be suitable for my relative, and how often could they take part?
- 05How can we raise a concern, and how will you record and respond to it?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five questions and the overall quality of the service, including observations, discussions and checks of care, medicines, staffing and safety records. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 January 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 Hillcroft Nursing Home Caton Green
3 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- July 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Hillcroft Nursing Home Caton Green →
- January 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Hillcroft Nursing Home Caton Green →
- January 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- July 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 11 May 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 £1,260 a week. 78 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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