Hithermoor House

Updated 18 May 2023

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Hithermoor House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Hithermoor House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short notice period of the inspection because we wanted to be sure people would be at home to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 22 February 2023 and ended on 24 February 2023. We visited the home on 23 February 2023.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had about the service, including intelligence we gathered during a monitoring call with the registered manager in July 2022. We also reviewed feedback submitted by people using the service as part of our monitoring activity. We contacted professionals who worked with the home to seek their feedback about the quality of care provided. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR) in November 2022. This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and 2 people who lived at the home. We spoke with a person’s family member by phone and received feedback from 6 staff and 4 professionals via email.

We checked 2 people’s care records, including their risk assessments and support plans, recruitment records for 3 staff, records of training and supervision, meeting minutes, audits, the provider’s business continuity plan, and the arrangements for managing medicines.

Updated 18 May 2023

About the service

Hithermoor House is a care home registered to accommodate up to 2 adults with physical disability and/or complex healthcare needs. There were 2 people living at the home at the time of our inspection.

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

People’s care was exceptionally personalised and planned to meet their individual needs and wishes. People and their families were involved in planning their care, which meant they felt consulted and valued. The registered manager and staff spent time with people to understand their goals and wishes and worked with them to plan how these could be achieved. The personalised support staff provided had led to significant improvements in people’s quality of life.

The model of care and the design of the building had been planned to meet the needs of the people living at the home. A person told us the registered manager had worked hard to obtain the specialist equipment they needed to live their life to the full, including being able to spend time with other people and to access their community. The person said this had made a great difference to their life and had motivated them to set personal goals for the future. A family member told us the quality and personalisation of care provided at the home had greatly benefited their loved one and their family as a whole.

There was a positive and inclusive culture at the home in which the views of people, staff and relatives were encouraged and used to improve the service. People, their family members and professionals told us the registered manager led by example in their approach and behaviours. Family members said the registered manager worked in partnership with them to plan the care their loved ones received. Staff were proud to work for the provider because of the high quality of care it provided.

The registered manager understood the value of effective governance in helping keep people safe, protecting their rights, and ensuring they received high quality care. There was a commitment to continuous learning and improving care. The service had developed a systematic approach to working with other organisations to improve outcomes for people. Professionals recognised the service achieved exceptional outcomes and told us the service was an excellent role model for other services.

People received their care from kind and compassionate staff. People said staff had provided emotional support when they needed it. The registered manager and staff demonstrated exceptional skills in helping people and their families explore and record their wishes about care at the end of their life, and to plan how their wishes would be met. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and to develop and maintain skills.

Staff had the training and support they needed to provide people’s care effectively. This included specialist training sourced by the registered manager to ensure staff understood people’s individual needs and healthcare conditions. Staff met regularly with the registered manager to discuss their performance and any further training needs.

There were always enough staff available to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. People were supported by consistent staff who knew their needs well. Staff understood their responsibilities in protecting people from abuse and knew how to report any concerns they had. The provider’s recruitment procedures helped ensure only suitable staff were employed. People’s medicines were managed safely, and staff managed risks well to keep people safe.

If people’s ability to communicate was restricted, staff ensured people were able to express their needs and wishes through alternative methods of communication. 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

This service was registered with us on 9 December 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.