Hillcrest

Updated 22 December 2021

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 carried out by one inspector. During our monitoring review shortly before the inspection an Expert by Experience carried out phones calls to people living in the service and their relatives. 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

Hillcrest 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

Prior to the inspection we carried out a monitoring activity of the service. This included reviewing information we had received about the service since the last inspection. During our monitoring activity we spoke with four people using the service and six relatives. We spoke with eight members of staff. This included, four care assistants, one of whom worked on the night shift, a senior care assistant, a member of the domestic team, the deputy manager, and the registered manager. We reviewed a number of records relating to the running of the service. This included two people’s care records relating to risk of skin breakdown, audits of the service, and two people’s medicine records.

We used the information the provider sent us in their provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

The information we gathered as part of our monitoring activity was used as evidence during this inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with the registered manager and deputy manager. We carried out observations of the physical environment and the support provided.

We reviewed a range of records. This included records relating to three people’s care and two people’s medicine records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at some additional polices and records relating to the maintenance of the service.

Updated 22 December 2021

About the service

Hillcrest is a residential care home providing personal care to 31 people aged 65 and over, some of whom may be living with dementia at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 52 people. Hillcrest is a purpose-built care home that provides accommodation over three separate units. Each unit has its own communal living room and dining room. Two of the units specialise in providing care to people living with dementia.

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

Whilst we found overall improvements had been made in the management of risk, we found some areas relating to the security of rooms and cabinets that required further work. The registered manager responded immediately to this and took actions to reduce this risk going forward.

Other risks to people, including from the environment were managed and responded to. We found improvements relating to the support of people at risk of skin breakdown. Regular fire and water safety checks were carried out. Improvements had been made to the management of medicines in the service. These were managed safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed. There was enough staff to meet people’s needs. Improvements had also been made in relation to infection control. The service had undergone a period of refurbishment and was clean. Information on safeguarding was provided to people, relatives, and staff. This included information on how to report concerns. Actions to safeguard people had been taken appropriately including reporting to the required authorities.

Further work had been taken to improve the governance of the service which had resulted in positive outcomes. People were supported by staff who understood person-centred care. The support provided met people’s individual needs, including cultural needs. There was an inclusive approach. People and relatives felt listened to and involved in the service. Staff were encouraged to take part in quality monitoring processes. The staff team worked well together and spoke about positive team working.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 16 April 2020).

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

Prior to the inspection we carried out a monitoring review of the service. A monitoring review considers a range of information such as the current rating, any ongoing or planned regulatory activities, information about safeguarding, whistleblowing, incident reports (we call these statutory notifications) and whether the service has a registered manager, feedback from people who use services and their family and friends, and other contextual information. This prompted us to carry out this inspection.

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 until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.