Bilton House

Updated 19 February 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors.

Service and service type

Bilton House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority, professionals who work with the service and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with ten people who used the service and two relatives, one of whom was also a trustee, about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 11 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, senior care workers, care workers, domestic cleaners and the chef.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three care records and medicine administration records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service including quality audits, staff handovers, safety checks of the premises and policies and procedures.

After the inspection

We continued to gather information from the provider as part of the inspection and looked at training data and feedback from surveys.

Updated 19 February 2020

About the service

Bilton House is a residential care home providing personal care and accommodation to 33 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service accommodates up to 39 people in one house. The house is split over three floors with the ground and first floor having bedrooms for residents. This is called the ‘Main House’. The third floor has a twin visitors’ room with kitchenette and bathroom for relatives to stay overnight, and a room for staff training. One section of the home named ‘Clarice Wing’ specialises in providing care to people living with dementia.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us they felt safe living at Bilton House and were looked after by care workers who knew them well and treated them with kindness, respect and dignity. There were processes in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm, and staff understood their responsibilities for reporting any concerns. Measures were in place to safely manage people’s medicines and staff received training and practical guidance on medicine administration. Accidents and incidents were reported and monitored to learn from these.

Bilton House provided a homely atmosphere. Staffing levels and volunteers meant people could take part in a wide range of activities if they wanted to. People were encouraged to maintain their independence, life and the interests they had prior to moving to Bilton House. People’s needs and preferences were assessed prior to staying at Bilton House so care could be planned in partnership with them and their relatives. The registered manager used the assessment process to understand people’s past lives and experiences to better understand people in their care and provide care that was personalised.

Staff received ongoing training and their personal development was valued by the provider. Changes to how training was delivered meant staff received specialised face to face training in specific health conditions such as Parkinson’s and dementia and gave positive feedback about the learning they achieved as a result.

People received timely access to healthcare support because staff monitored changes to their health and wellbeing, sharing key information during staff handovers and with senior team members. The registered manager used research on colour schemes for people living with dementia, so their environment was better suited to their needs. Many rooms within Bilton House had access to lots of natural light which meant people could observe changing seasons and orientate themselves to time of day.

Risks to people’s physical health and safety were identified with guidance for staff to follow on managing them. People’s dietary needs were identified and assessed so people could be supported to eat and drink safely. People were given choices of what they wanted to eat and drink and alternatives were always available if they did not like what was being provided on the day.

The culture of the home encouraged people to “live their lives” and management took a positive approach to risk. People living with dementia had the freedom to explore their whole community within Bilton House whilst still being protected from avoidable harm. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 19 July 2017)

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Bilton House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.