CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Hillcrest & Lyndale Care & Support Services
2 Hill Close
2 Hill Close, Pontefract, WF8 2SF
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the service was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
- Safe?
- Requires improvement
- Inspectors found inconsistent cleaning, missing fridge checks, no hand-drying facilities, no fire extinguishers and hot radiators without a risk assessment. Medicine support, safeguarding systems and recruitment checks were found to be safe.
- Effective?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this focused inspection. The report does not give a current rating for it.
- Caring?
- Good
- People told inspectors they were happy. Staff were kind and knew the people they supported. People were involved in choices about their care, activities and personal space.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This question was not inspected during this focused inspection. The report does not give a current rating for it.
- Well-led?
- Requires improvement
- The home's monitoring and audit systems had not identified or dealt with safety and staffing problems in good time. Inspectors also raised concerns about terminology and whether people were being fully empowered to develop their independence.
What inspectors found, December 2023
2 Hill Close was rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, person-centred care but serious shortfalls in safety and management.
This was an unannounced focused inspection. Inspectors visited on 24 October 2023 and also gathered information afterwards. They spoke with people and staff, observed care, and checked care, medicine, staffing, recruitment and management records.
People told inspectors they were happy and appeared relaxed with staff. Care was caring and person-centred. People made choices about their activities, rooms and daily lives, and were supported to take part in community activities.
However, inspectors found problems with infection control, fire safety, hot radiators and staffing information. The home's checks and audits had not identified or dealt with these problems quickly enough. The overall rating changed from Good at the previous inspection to Requires Improvement. Safe and Well-led were rated Requires Improvement, while Caring remained Good.
Kind and person-centred support
People appeared relaxed with staff and received care that reflected their needs and choices.
“People told us they were happy living at 2 Hill Close and we observed that people were relaxed in the company of staff and others they lived with.” from the report
Choice and community life
People chose their own activities and took part in trips and activities in the local community.
“People choose their own activities and if they want to stay in and do their own thing that's up to them.” from the report
Medicines support
Medicine records were completed correctly, checks were recorded and staff had suitable training.
“Medicine administration records were completed correctly and outcomes of audits and spot checks were recorded.” from the report
Safeguarding and recruitment
The home had safeguarding systems, staff training on protecting people from harm, and appropriate recruitment checks.
“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
Infection control and cleanliness
seriousCleaning was not consistent. Fridge temperatures and food opening dates were not recorded, and there were no hand-drying facilities in the toilet or kitchen.
“Some areas of the home were not clean and there was limited evidence of consistent management oversight to ensure compliance with service policies.” from the report
Fire and radiator risks
seriousThere were no fire extinguishers, and some radiators were very hot without radiator covers or a risk assessment. Inspectors found this increased the risk that people could be harmed.
“There were no fire extinguishers in 2 Hill Close.” from the report
Unclear staffing arrangements
seriousNo staff were present when inspectors arrived. Rotas and dependency tools did not clearly show the shared night staffing arrangement across the three buildings.
“When we entered the location, there were no staff present on-site.” from the report
Weak management checks
seriousThe home's audits and monitoring did not identify or resolve infection control, risk assessment and staffing problems promptly.
“The provider's systems did not always effectively monitor the quality of care provided to drive improvements.” from the report
Respectful language and independence
minorInspectors said some terminology was not respectful or empowering. They also found limited evidence that the home helped people develop skills such as cooking, cleaning and shopping.
“The registered manager referred to people as "Our rezzies" which meant residents.” from the report
- 01What has been done to provide fire extinguishers and manage the risk from hot radiators?
- 02How are cleaning, fridge temperatures, food opening dates and hand-drying facilities now checked?
- 03How are staff rotas and dependency tools being corrected so that staffing is clear across the three buildings, including at night?
- 04What evidence can you show that management audits now identify and fix safety problems promptly?
- 05How will you help people build independence skills such as cooking, cleaning and shopping, and ensure staff use respectful language?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Caring and Well-led only; Effective and Responsive were not inspected, and their ratings were not given in this report. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 December 2023 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of 2 Hill Close
3 rated inspections over 9 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.
- December 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodCaring: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- July 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 11 April 2011.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission. A service can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections, not every contact the CQC has had with the service.
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Other services run by Hillcrest & Lyndale Care & Support Services Limited
3 other services on the CQC register. A pattern across a group tells you more than one report.