Hillcroft House

People told us they felt safe and we observed they were at ease in the company of the staff that cared for them. People were protected from the risk of potential harm; safeguarding policies and processes were in place and staff had received appropriate training.

Risks to people were regularly assessed with measures in place to mitigate them. This included timely referrals to healthcare services. Safe management of medicines was in place.

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.

There were sufficient safely recruited staff on shift to meet people's needs. The provider was actively recruiting additional staff but in the meantime was using preferred agency staff, where required, to maintain safe staffing levels. We have made a recommendation about staffing.

Despite recent changes in the leadership in the home, staff were clear on their roles and responsibilities. Morale and the culture in the home was good, staff said the interim management arrangements the provider had taken had settled the home and staff felt supported in their role.

Governance systems supported the provider and management team to identify shortfalls in the home and address them. Processes were in place to learn lessons when things had gone wrong with actions taken to reduce future incidents happening.

Overall, the home was clean and hygienic with good infection control procedures carried out. Staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). We noted that some parts of the home were in need of attention and this was addressed during our inspection. The management team shared the provider's programme of scheduled works which included improving the décor and layout of the home to benefit the people living there.

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