Hill Top Lodge

Updated 6 September 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 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 was conducted by one inspector, an assistant inspector, a nurse specialist, an inspection manager and an expert by experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Hill Top Lodge 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 two managers 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 inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent to us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send to us, it contains key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with six people who used the service, to ask about their experience of the care provided, and five visiting relatives of people who used the service. We spoke with two registered managers, two-unit managers, one cook and four care staff. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. This included looking at five care plans, two staff files, one policy, numerous medication records, and the service overview and quality assurance records.

Updated 6 September 2019

About the service

Hill Top Lodge is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for 78 people at the time of the inspection, some of whom were living with dementia. Hill Top Lodge can accommodate up to 85 people. Accommodation was provided in a purpose-built home across three floors, with communal areas on each floor.

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

People and their relatives were very positive about the care provided. People were cared for by staff that knew how to keep them safe and protect them from avoidable harm. Sufficient staff were available to meet people’s needs. People received their medicines as prescribed and systems were in place for the safe management and supply of medicines. Incidents and accidents were investigated, and actions were taken to prevent recurrence. Staff followed infection control and prevention procedures.

People’s needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered to meet people’s needs, legislation and good practice guidance. Care was delivered by staff who were well trained and knowledgeable about people’s support needs. People were provided with a nutritious and varied diet that took account of cultural needs.

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. When people were unable to make decisions about their care and support, the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) were followed.

People were cared for by staff that were kind and compassionate, maintaining their privacy and treating them with dignity and respect. The atmosphere within the home was pleasant and homely. People and their relatives were included and supported to take decisions about how their needs were met.

Staff had an in-depth knowledge of the people they supported and were responsive to their individual needs and choices. People had a range of activities available to them and were supported to access them. Peoples views and concerns were listened to. The resident’s meetings were well attended and enabled people and their relatives to bring about change and improvement in the services provided.

There were two registered managers that worked in partnership. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the care provided and to promote the continuous improvement of the service. The management and staff worked in partnership with external health care providers and developed positive relationships, to benefit people’s health and wellbeing.

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 14 February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

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