Greenhill Care Home

Updated 28 June 2019

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 planned this inspection to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team:

One inspector, an assistant inspector and an expert by experience carried out the inspection. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Our expert by experience’s area of expertise was caring for older people and supporting them to access a range of health and social care services.

Service and service type:

Greenhill Care Home 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 we looked at both 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:

We carried out the inspection visit on 14 May 2019. It was unannounced.

What we did:

Before the inspection visit we looked at information we held about the home and used this information as part of our inspection planning. The information included notifications. Notifications are information on important events that happen in the home that the provider is required by law to let us know about. In March 2019 the provider had sent us a completed provider information return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During our inspection we saw how the staff interacted with people who lived at Greenhill Care Home. We spoke with 14 people who lived there and one person’s relatives. We spoke with the registered manager, an operations manager and five members of staff: two team leaders, two care staff, one senior. We also spoke with two healthcare professionals who were visiting the service.

We looked at four people’s care records as well as other records relating to the management of the home. These included staff meeting minutes, medicine records and audits.

Updated 28 June 2019

About the service:

Greenhill Care Home is a care home that provides personal care to 67 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. Each of the two floors is a self-contained unit, with bedrooms, lounge and dining areas, a kitchenette and bathrooms. There were 64 people living at the service when we undertook our inspection.

People’s experience of using this service:

People who lived at Greenhill Care Home received care from a staff team who were passionate about delivering a service based on individual needs. Staff knew each person well. People’s views were respected, and they were involved in everything that happened in the service. People were happy living there and relatives trusted the staff team to look after their family members.

Staff delivered care and support that was personalised and responsive to people’s likes, dislikes and preferences. Staff were kind, caring and motivated and people, their relatives and external professionals were complimentary about the care provided. Staff respected people’s privacy, dignity and independence and encouraged people to lead their life in the way they wanted to. Staff knew people extremely well and encouraged people to participate in a wide range of activities. People were encouraged to continue to pursue the hobbies and interests that they had prior to moving into the service. The service had its own transport and people enjoyed visiting local places.

Staff understood the risks to people and the measures in place to keep them safe. Systems were in place to manage people's medicines safely and to reduce the risks associated with the spread of infection. People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet and people were complimentary about the food provided.

Sufficient numbers of staff were employed to meet people's needs. Staff received training that gave them the necessary skills and knowledge to carry out their roles and meet the specific needs of people using the service.

People were supported to maintain good health. Staff made referrals to health professionals when required. People were provided with the care, support and equipment they needed to stay independent. People were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Care plans guided staff to provide support that met people's needs which were in line with their preferences.

Systems were in place to monitor the service, which ensured that people's risks were mitigated, and lessons were learnt when things went wrong. There was an open culture within the service. People and staff could approach the registered manager who acted on concerns raised to make improvements to people's care.

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection we rated this service Good (report published on 15 December 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we might inspect sooner.

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