CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Hydon Hill - Care Home with Nursing Physical Disabilities
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, December 2021
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found concerns with medicine management, staffing levels, and leadership oversight.
Inspectors visited Hydon Hill unannounced on 29 September 2021 to check if the home was safe and well-led. They spoke with people living there, relatives, and staff, and reviewed records including care plans and medicine administration.
They found that medicine records were often incorrect, meaning people might not have received their medicines as prescribed. The home used many agency staff due to recruitment difficulties, which sometimes affected the quality and consistency of care.
The home is large and in a rural area, which limits access to community activities. Although some people with learning disabilities received extra support, this was not consistent for all. Staff were kind and people felt safe, but there was little social interaction for some residents.
Leadership was inconsistent. The manager did not fully understand important guidance about supporting people with learning disabilities. Communication with relatives could be better, and concerns about medicines and staffing were not always addressed quickly.
Kind and caring staff
People told inspectors that staff were kind and made them feel comfortable.
“The staff are very nice and they make me comfortable.” from the report
People feel safe
People and relatives said they felt safe living at the home.
“The staff keep me safe, I always feel safe.” from the report
Safeguarding knowledge
Staff understood how to protect people from abuse and had received training.
“Staff were aware of their safeguarding responsibilities.” from the report
Infection control
The home followed good infection prevention and control practices.
“We were assured that the provider was using PPE effectively and safely.” from the report
Medicine management
seriousMedicine records were often incorrect and checks were not done regularly, risking people not getting their medicines properly.
“Of the seven records checked, six were incorrect. In all six cases there were more medicines in stock than had been recorded on the system.” from the report
Staffing levels
seriousThere were not always enough staff, especially at weekends, which affected care and social opportunities.
“There never feels as though there are enough staff. At the weekends, it's just skeleton staff.” from the report
Leadership and governance
seriousManagement did not always respond quickly to concerns and did not fully apply important care guidance for people with learning disabilities.
“There was a lack of consistent management oversight of the service.” from the report
Limited social interaction
needs fixingPeople who stayed in their rooms often had little chance for social activities or engagement.
“There was little opportunity for social interaction with those people not taking part in group activities.” from the report
- 01How does the home ensure medicines are given safely and records are accurate?
- 02What steps are being taken to improve staffing levels and reduce reliance on agency staff?
- 03How does the management team support staff and respond to concerns raised by families?
- 04How does the home support people with learning disabilities to live as independently as possible?
- 05What opportunities are there for residents to take part in social activities, especially those who stay in their rooms?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led only; other ratings carry over from previous inspections. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 December 2021 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 2020
Rated Requires Improvement; Safe and Well-led improved to Good, but the home had previously been in special measures and this inspection did not cover all areas.
This was an announced focused inspection on 20 August 2020. Inspectors checked whether the home had fixed problems found at the previous inspection, including staffing, safeguarding, care records, medicines, reporting incidents and management checks. They also looked at infection control during the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspectors found enough improvement for Safe and Well-led to be rated Good. Staffing had improved, records were more complete, risks were managed more clearly, medicines were managed safely and managers had stronger checks on the quality of care. People said they felt safe and staff were available when needed.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. This was because the inspection only looked at Safe and Well-led. Ratings for the other areas came from the previous full inspection, rather than being reassessed during this visit.
Staff availability
People said staff were available when they needed them. The home had reduced its reliance on agency staff, so people were more often supported by familiar staff.
“People told us staff were always available when they needed them, which helped them feel safe.” from the report
More complete care records
Support plans were detailed and personal. Repositioning and food and fluid records were kept up to date, helping staff provide the planned care.
“Important records such as repositioning charts and food/fluid charts were kept up-to-date, which demonstrated that people were receiving the care they needed.” from the report
Safer risk management
Staff understood people's individual risks and support plans explained how to reduce them. Accident and incident reviews were used to reduce the chance of similar events happening again.
“If risks were identified, clear support plans were in place detailing the care people needed to minimise these risks.” from the report
Improved management and communication
Managers introduced regular audits and daily staff updates. People and staff said their views were listened to and acted on.
“The monitoring and management oversight of the service had improved since our last inspection.” from the report
Infection control
The home had introduced extra cleaning, screening and protective equipment measures during the pandemic. Inspectors were assured that infection risks were being managed.
“Additional infection control measures had been implemented to protect people and staff during the pandemic.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What is the current overall rating, and what were the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive at the previous full inspection?
- 02Are staffing levels still based on current assessments of people's needs, and has the reduced use of agency staff continued?
- 03How are repositioning, food and fluid records and other care records checked now?
- 04What progress has been made on the provider's improvement plan since this inspection?
- 05Has the physiotherapy studio reopened, and what visiting arrangements are currently in place?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, including infection control; the other ratings were carried over from the previous comprehensive inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 6 October 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.
Every inspection of Hydon Hill - Care Home with Nursing Physical Disabilities
6 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has improved, from Inadequate to Requires improvement.
- December 2021Requires improvementcurrent ratingstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
Read what inspectors found at Hydon Hill - Care Home with Nursing Physical Disabilities →
- October 2020Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
Read what inspectors found at Hydon Hill - Care Home with Nursing Physical Disabilities →
- December 2019Inadequatedown from GoodSafe: InadequateWell-led: Inadequate
- September 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2016Requires improvementup from InadequateSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- January 2016InadequateSafe: InadequateEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Inadequate
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- September 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 12 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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