CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Hillswood House Care Home
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
- Safe?
- Requires improvement
- People were protected from abuse and there were enough suitably recruited staff. However, building safety checks did not identify problems, cleanliness was not always maintained and inspectors found some medicines errors.
- Effective?
- Good
- People had personalised care plans, suitable staff training, access to healthcare and support with eating and drinking. Mental capacity and best-interest processes were being followed.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with dignity and respect, supported privacy and encouraged independence. People and relatives said they were involved in care planning.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's preferences, beliefs and communication needs. People could raise concerns, although views about the range of activities were mixed.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- The manager was seen as approachable and an action plan was in place. However, quality checks did not always identify safety and record-keeping problems, and management arrangements were not fully settled.
What inspectors found, July 2023
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found good care and support, but safety checks, cleanliness and management oversight were not always reliable.
This was the home's first inspection since it registered. Inspectors visited without warning on 25 and 30 May 2023. They spoke with people, relatives, staff and visiting professionals, and checked care records, medicines, recruitment files, safety records and audits.
The home was rated Good for effective, caring and responsive care. People had personalised care plans, suitable training, healthcare support and help with food and drink. Staff were described as kind, respectful and willing to listen.
The home was rated Requires Improvement for safe and well-led care. Inspectors found weaknesses in building safety checks, cleanliness, some medicines records and quality monitoring. The manager responded to several issues during the inspection and an action plan was in place.
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives spoke positively about how staff treated them. Staff supported privacy, dignity and independence.
“Staff supported people to maintain their dignity, promoted people's privacy and encouraged independence.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's preferences, beliefs, health needs and communication requirements. Plans were being reviewed regularly.
“People's needs were assessed, and they had personalised care plans containing their preferences.” from the report
Safeguarding
People said they felt safe, and staff understood how to recognise and report concerns about abuse.
“Staff knew how to report concerns and felt confident they would be dealt with appropriately.” from the report
Healthcare and nutrition
Staff worked with health professionals and made referrals when needed. People were supported with their dietary needs and to maintain a balanced diet.
“Staff worked with other agencies and made referrals when appropriate.” from the report
Building safety checks
seriousThe fire risk assessment had not been updated after changes to the building. Inspectors also found window restrictors that did not meet guidance, creating a risk of harm.
“This meant there was a risk of harm to people.” from the report
Cleanliness and infection control
needs fixingCleaning schedules were completed, but some staff did not deal with soiled equipment promptly or clean it properly.
“Staff did not always maintain good standards of cleanliness within the home to ensure infection control was promoted.” from the report
Medicines records
seriousThe stock for one person's medicine did not match the expected amount. Another medicine was not recorded properly and could not be located, although no one was harmed.
“We found 1 person's medicines in stock did not match the amount that should have been available and poor recording around another medicine that had not been administered and could not be located.” from the report
Weak quality monitoring
needs fixingAudits and checks were being carried out but did not reliably identify important safety issues. Inspectors also found accuracy problems in records.
“Quality audits and checks to monitor quality and safety were being carried out however, these were not always effective in identifying issues.” from the report
- 01Has the external fire risk assessment now been updated after the changes to the building?
- 02How are window restrictors checked, and what action was taken after the inspection findings?
- 03What checks now confirm that medicines stock and administration records are accurate?
- 04How do managers make sure soiled equipment is dealt with and cleaned promptly?
- 05How is the action plan monitored, and who checks that improvements are completed?
This was the home's first inspection and covered all five CQC questions, prompted by concerns about management, medicines and infection control. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 July 2023 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 Hillswood House Care Home
9 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Requires improvement rating throughout.
- July 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2021Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2020Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2019Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- February 2018Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2017Inadequatestayed InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: InadequateResponsive: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
- June 2017Inadequatedown from Requires improvementSafe: InadequateEffective: InadequateCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- November 2016Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2022
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 2 March 2022.
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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