Latest Inspection
This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 17th June 2010. CQC found this care home to be providing an Good service.
The inspector made no statutory requirements on the home as a result of this inspection
and there were no outstanding actions from the previous inspection report.
For extracts, read the latest CQC inspection for Hillswood Lodge.
What the care home does well Hillswood Lodge provides a high standard environment. Furniture, fittings and equipment are to a very high standard. The home stands in its own grounds in pleasant landscaped gardens in a peaceful setting. During this visit we saw people sitting in the garden area on a very hot afternoon, with comfortable garden seating, elaborate sun shades and being served afternoon tea in the garden. Staff were involved with people who had planted seeds and growing plants and vegetables. Those not wishing to go outside were sitting in the comfortable lounge areas, engaging with each other and staff. They too were served afternoon tea in what can only be described as ambient, comfortable lounge areas. People we spoke with said that staff were very supportive and helpful and there were clearly strong positive, warm relationships existing between people in the home and staff. We spoke with staff on duty who were aware of the individul needs of people and were clearly highly committed to the group of people living here. What the care home could do better: All complaints must be recorded in the homes complaint log. The Registered Person must ensure that any complaint made under the complaints procedure is fully investigated and shall within a maximum of 28 days inform the person making the complaint of the action (if any) that is to be taken. Regular staff meetings must be held. Staff must have the opportunity to express theirviews about the service without fear of recrimination. Staff supervision must also provide the opportunity for similar open expression of views. The provider must provide reports to be left in the home concerning the regular monthly visits under Regulation 26 of the Care Home Regulations, expressing an opinion of the standard of care provided in the care home. We expect the Management group to address and resolve the issues identified in this report in the interests of people using the service and staff. Random inspection report
Care homes for older people
Name: Address: Hillswood Lodge 9 The Close Endon Stoke On Trent Staffordshire ST9 9JH two star good service 26/01/2009 The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection. This is a report of a random inspection of this care home. A random inspection is a short, focussed review of the service. Details of how to get other inspection reports for this care home, including the last key inspection report, can be found on the last page of this report. Lead inspector: Peter Dawson Date: 1 7 0 6 2 0 1 0 Information about the care home
Name of care home: Address: Hillswood Lodge 9 The Close Endon Stoke On Trent Staffordshire ST9 9JH 01782504637 01782504777 lib@stabledevelopments.com Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): Name of registered manager (if applicable) Hillswood Care Ltd Type of registration: Number of places registered: Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : care home 16 Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 16 dementia old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: 16 0 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is: 16 The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care Home Only (Code PC); To service users of the following gender: Either; Whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Dementia (DE) 16, Old age, not falling within any other category (OP) 16 Date of last inspection 2 6 0 1 2 0 0 9 Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 9 Brief description of the care home Hillswood Lodge is a residential care home offering 16 places for older people; four of these may be for people living in the home who have dementia and are over the age of 65. The home is a large detached property located in the centre of Endon situated at the top of a private drive. Local amenities are within a short walking distance and the local towns are accessible by car or public transport. The fees for the service were £386 for a single room £366 for a shared room a week, day care was £30 per day. The fees were current at the time of the last key inspection. Readers of this report may wish to contact the service for the current fees. Both the exterior and interior of the property are very well maintained; the home is exceptionally clean and the decor is to a high standard. The people in the home are offered easy access to all areas of the home by the use of grab rails and a lift. All bedrooms meet the required sizes and are equipped with suitable fixtures and fittings. Communal areas are spacious and comfortable. There are no en-suite facilities. Adequate parking is available in the grounds. Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 9 What we found:
This home was last inspected on 26th January 2009 when it was awarded 2 Stars Good. We have recently received 3 complaints about the home. We asked to home to deal with one, the other two were anonymous complaints. One anonymous complaint gave considerable detail about poor management and treatment of people using the service and staff. The complaints received stated that many previous complaints had been made to the owners and Manager but these had not been acted upon and there had been collusion between them. There were allegations of intimidation of people making complaints. We carried out this random inspection of the home on 17th June 2010 to investigate the allegations made. The Inspection was carried out by one inspector and two senior managers from Social Care & Health. We spoke with the Manager, staff on duty and many of the 16 people in residence. We looked at records in the home relating specifically to the complaints received. We were told that there had been similar complaints in January 2009 that the providers and Manager felt were unjustified and malicious. Since that time some staff have left and the view was that relationships between staff and management had improved. We looked at complaints records that showed only 2 complaints had been recorded in the past year. This was incorrect - the recent complaint the home were asked to respond to had not been recorded in the complaint procedures. Information received in the recent anonymous complaint indicated there were more. We looked at areas where staff may have the opportunity to express their views about the home or any complaints they may have. We found that only 2 staff meetings had been held in the past year and only 4 people usually attend those meetings. We questioned why meetings were so poorly attended and whether the meetings were useful to staff in providing a platform to express their views about the home. The minutes of the meetings held did not show that the views of staff were sought. Staff supervision was another area we looked at to see if staff had opportunities for discussions about the home and to express any concerns. We looked at a sample of staff supervision records that showed brief and poor records. Discussion was centred around domestic type issues and there was no indication of positive dialogue about staff views of the conduct of the home. We asked to see reports from the provider under Reguation 26 of the Care Home Regulations - this relates to monthly unannounced visits by the Responsible Individual. We were told that although there were monthly visits, the records had ceased sometime ago. Following this visit we later spoke with the provider who had clearly misunderstood the continued need for reports under Regulation 26 that must be carried out monthly, a written report prepared on the conduct of the home and a copy left in the home. The provider said these reports would now been recommenced.
Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 9 We tried to identify some allegations made in the anonymous complaint regarding specific incidents. We were ultimately unable to pinpoint records relating to an allegation of the way a person was got up in the morning having refused to do so. Another allegation where no food available was pursued - stocks of food in the home were found to be plentiful and it was not possible to identify the alleged circumstances when this was not the case. An allegation that staff were given blue books to record the behaviour of a particular person was refuted. The Manager said that care staff were given notebooks to record any particular events they may forget to record. - There are contact sheets in the home where all staff should record daily notes that summarise the care for each person for each day. It was our view that some tensions between management and staff still existed in the home and that staff must be given to opportunity to express their views, concerns and complaints in an open way without being ignored or intimidated. Until this is achieved further complaints could follow. We discussed our concerns with the Registered Manager during the inspection and later with the Responsible Individual (Registered Provider) John Howard. We expressed the view that this was a management issue that must be addressed and resolved by the management group. The atmosphere is not conducive with people living in the home feeling comfortable and relaxed. What the care home does well: What they could do better:
All complaints must be recorded in the homes complaint log. The Registered Person must ensure that any complaint made under the complaints procedure is fully investigated and shall within a maximum of 28 days inform the person making the complaint of the action (if any) that is to be taken. Regular staff meetings must be held. Staff must have the opportunity to express their
Care Homes for Older People Page 5 of 9 views about the service without fear of recrimination. Staff supervision must also provide the opportunity for similar open expression of views. The provider must provide reports to be left in the home concerning the regular monthly visits under Regulation 26 of the Care Home Regulations, expressing an opinion of the standard of care provided in the care home. We expect the Management group to address and resolve the issues identified in this report in the interests of people using the service and staff. If you want to know what action the person responsible for this care home is taking following this report, you can contact them using the details set out on page 2. Care Homes for Older People Page 6 of 9 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes £ No R Outstanding statutory requirements
These are requirements that were set at the previous inspection, but have still not been met. They say what the registered person had to do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Care Homes for Older People Page 7 of 9 Requirements and recommendations from this inspection:
Immediate requirements: These are immediate requirements that were set on the day we visited this care home. The registered person had to meet these within 48 hours.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Statutory requirements These requirements set out what the registered person must do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must do this within the timescales we have set.
No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Recommendations These recommendations are taken from the best practice described in the National Minimum Standards and the registered person(s) should consider them as a way of improving their service.
No Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations 1 16 All complaints must be recoded and investigated within 28 days, informing the complainant in writing of the action taken as a result of the complaint. Evidence that the written agreement for the Registered Manager to complete the Registered Managers Award has been completed, must be sent to us as evidence of completion of the award. The Responsible Individual must provide a written report on monthly unannounced visits to the home, expressing an opinion about the standards of care. This report must be left in the home. Regular staff meetings should be held involving all staff and providing the opporunity for staff to express their views about the service. Under Regulation 21 the Registerd Person shall make arrangements to enable staff to inform the Registered Peson about any matter concerning the care home. Staff supervision should be reviewed and structured to seek the views of staff about the operation of the home.
Page 8 of 9 2 31 3 31 4 32 5 36 Care Homes for Older People Reader Information
Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Inspection Report Care Quality Commission General Public 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. Copies of the National Minimum Standards –Care Homes for Older People can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or got from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering from the Stationery Office is also available: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a summary in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. © Care Quality Commission 2010 This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any format or medium for noncommercial purposes, provided that it is reproduced accurately and not used in a derogatory manner or in a misleading context. The source should be acknowledged, by showing the publication title and © Care Quality Commission 2010. Care Homes for Older People Page 9 of 9 - Please note that this information is included on www.bestcarehome.co.uk under license from the regulator. Re-publishing this information is in breach of the terms of use of that website. Discrete codes and changes have been inserted throughout the textual data shown on the site that will provide incontrovertable proof of copying in the event this information is re-published on other websites. The policy of www.bestcarehome.co.uk is to use all legal avenues to pursue such offenders, including recovery of costs. You have been warned!
