1 Hill Close

People appeared relaxed with staff and said they were happy living at the home. Staff knew people well and supported them in a caring way.

“People's positive, relaxed body language and affectionate response to staff showed they enjoyed staff's company and were relaxed in their home.” from the report

People chose activities, went out into the community and had control over where they spent their time. They were supported to take part in household tasks and personal interests.

“People were encouraged to exercise choice and control in their daily lives.” from the report

Inspectors found that staff administered medicines appropriately and that records and audits were completed correctly. The main medicine concern was storage, which is included under safety risks.

“Medicine administration records were completed correctly and outcomes of audits and spot checks were recorded.” from the report

The provider carried out the required pre-employment checks described in the report, including checks of criminal records and references.

“The provider operated safe recruitment processes and undertook appropriate pre-employment checks on staff including Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and reviewing references.” from the report

Inspectors found dried excrement on surfaces and dirty kitchen equipment. Food temperature checks and opening-date records were not consistently completed, and there were no hand-drying facilities in some areas.

“We saw dried excrement on various surfaces upstairs. The kitchen cupboards, fridge, freezer and oven were dirty.” from the report

A skin cream and other medicines were stored in a cabinet next to a scorched oven housing. The home had no fire extinguishers, and hot radiators were not covered or risk-assessed for people's needs.

“The cabinet was positioned, pushed up against the oven housing. The veneer on both the cabinet and the oven housing were visibly scorched.” from the report

When inspectors arrived, no staff were present at the home. Records did not clearly show how two night staff were shared across the three homes, so inspectors recommended that staffing records be reviewed.

“Rotas and dependency tools showed that no night staff were provided at 1 Hill Close.” from the report

The home's audits had not identified the problems with cleanliness, risk management and staffing records. This led to a breach of the governance regulation.

“The provider's systems did not always effectively monitor the quality of care provided to drive improvements.” from the report

Inspectors found that management did not always use respectful or empowering terminology when referring to people. They recommended reviewing best practice and changing this.

“The registered manager did not always use respectful terminology when referring to people who used the service and did not set a good example for staff.” from the report