Hillside

Updated 15 May 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 30 January 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

As part of the inspection we looked at the information we held about the service provided at the home. This included statutory notifications. Statutory notifications include important events and occurrences such as accidents and serious injury which the provider is required to send us by law.

We sought information about the service from the local authority and Healthwatch. The local authority has responsibility for funding people who used the service and monitoring its quality. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion, which promotes the views and experiences of people who use health and social care.

We spoke with four people who lived at the home and one relative. We looked at how staff supported people throughout the time we were at the home. As part of our observations we used the Short Observational Framework for Inspections (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing people who may not always be able to voice their opinions of the quality of service provided.

We spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager, the activities’ coordinator and four members of staff. We looked at the records relating to two people who lived at the home. We also looked at people's medicine records. We spent time with a staff member during their medicine round and looked at how medicines were administered, stored and disposed of. We also looked at staff training records, incidents and accident records, complaints and compliments records and quality audits completed by staff.

Updated 15 May 2018

This inspection site visit took place on 30 January 2018 and was unannounced.

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

Hillside accommodates a maximum of 20 older people in one adapted building. There were 15 people living at Hillside at the time of our inspection. Care and support is provided to people with dementia, learning disabilities and personal care needs. Bedrooms, bathrooms and toilets are situated over two floors. People have use of communal areas including a lounge, dining room and garden areas.

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At the last inspection, in October 2015 the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People were supported to stay as safe as possible by staff who understood what actions to take to reduce risks to their well-being. This included risks to people’s physical health and mental well-being. People, their relatives and staff were confident if they had any concerns for people’s safety the registered manager would react to support them. There was enough staff employed to meet people’s care needs.

People were supported by staff that had been trained to administer their medicines safely. Staff knew how to use safe infection control practices to help people avoid infections. Checks on the environment were undertaken and systems for identifying if there was any learning after safety incidents were in place

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

People and where appropriate relatives had been consulted regarding people’s care and support needs. Staff had received training so they had the skills to be able to deliver individuals care requirements.

People were supported to choose what they wanted to eat and to obtain care from other health and social care professionals, so they would maintain their physical and mental wellbeing.

People had formed caring relationships with the staff that supported them. Staff recognised the importance of helping people maintain their independence, privacy and dignity.

People’s care had been planned by taking their individual wishes, histories and needs into account. People’s care plans incorporated advice provided by other health and social care professionals to help people stay as independent as possible.

People told us they liked living at the home and found the home was well managed. The registered manager listened to the views of people, their relatives and staff when developing people’s care and the home further. The registered manager and provider conducted regular quality audits to identify any shortfalls and rectify them promptly.