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CQC report explained · a residential care home, run by Hillcrest & Lyndale Care & Support Services

Hillcrest

35 Carleton Road, Pontefract, WF8 3ND

Requires improvementpublished 2 December 2023, 2 years ago

Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the service was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Requires improvement
Risk assessments, fire safety arrangements, infection control and medicines management were not always effective. The provider was in breach of Regulation 12.
Effective?
Good
This question was not inspected during this focused inspection. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
Caring?
Requires improvement
People were not always supported with privacy, dignity, choice or involvement in their care. Some people had fewer activities and relatives said they had not been involved in care planning.
Responsive?
Good
This question was not inspected during this focused inspection. Its previous rating was carried forward when calculating the overall rating.
Well-led?
Requires improvement
The provider’s audits and governance systems had not identified or dealt with important problems. The provider was in breach of Regulation 17.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, December 2023

Hillcrest rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found risks in medicines, infection control, dignity and management systems.

This was an unannounced focused inspection on 18 and 19 October 2023. Inspectors spoke with people, staff, managers and relatives. They reviewed care plans, medicines records, safety records and quality checks.

The home was not always safe or caring. Risk assessments lacked important detail. Medicines records and storage checks were incomplete. Infection control was not always followed, and some areas were not consistently clean. Some people’s privacy, choices and involvement in care planning were not properly supported.

The home was also not well-led. Quality checks had failed to identify or correct several problems, and policies were out of date. The overall rating changed from Good at the previous inspection to Requires Improvement. There were breaches of Regulations 12 and 17.

What inspectors praised
  • Safeguarding awareness

    Staff had training about recognising and reporting abuse, and inspectors found they understood what to do to protect people.

    Staff had training and demonstrated a good understanding of what to do to make sure people were protected from harm or abuse.from the report
  • Safe recruitment and staffing

    There were enough safely recruited staff on duty to meet people’s needs during the inspection.

    There were enough safely recruited staff on duty to meet people's needs at the time of our visit.from the report
  • Kind staff

    Relatives and inspectors described staff as kind. Staff supported people patiently with everyday choices.

    One relative said, "The staff are lovely, they are the nicest set of people.from the report
  • Joined-up support

    The home worked with health professionals and other agencies to support people’s care.

    The service worked in partnership with other agencies, such as doctors, dentists, and speech and language therapists, to help to provide joined up care to people.from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Risks and fire safety

    serious

    Risk assessments for moving and handling, epilepsy and choking lacked enough detail. Inspectors were not assured that the fire risk assessment was suitable or completed by someone with the right competence.

    Risk assessments associated with moving and handling, epilepsy and choking did not contain enough detailed information.from the report
  • Medicines management

    serious

    Medicine storage temperatures were not consistently recorded. Instructions and outcome records for some medicines were missing, creating a risk that medicines were not given consistently.

    This meant there was a risk people did not receive their medicines consistently.from the report
  • Infection control and cleanliness

    serious

    Some areas had a bad smell and worn soft furnishings. Staff did not always follow infection control procedures, and some equipment used for medicines was not clean.

    The provider had failed to ensure infection control risks were managed and mitigated.from the report
  • Privacy and decision-making

    needs fixing

    Audio monitors could be heard by people in communal areas, which inspectors said was not respectful of privacy. Best-interest assessments had not been completed for some people who lacked capacity.

    Everyone sat in or passing by this area could hear the monitors which was not respectful of people's privacy.from the report
  • Care planning and activities

    needs fixing

    Care plans did not always explain how to support people safely, build independence or achieve longer-term goals. Some people had fewer activities available.

    People's support plans did not include clear strategies to enhance their independence and did not evidence any future planning or consideration of the longer-term aspirations of each person.from the report
  • Weak management checks

    serious

    Audits had not found or corrected problems with medicines, infection control, staff training and supervision. Policies had not been kept up to date.

    These systems had not always been effective as they had not enabled the provider to take timely action to address improvement.from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01What has been changed to make medicine storage checks, 'when required' medicine instructions and medicine records reliable?
  2. 02Has the fire risk assessment been reviewed by a suitably competent person, and what actions were completed as a result?
  3. 03How do you now ensure staff follow infection control procedures and keep medicine equipment clean?
  4. 04How are people’s privacy and best-interest decisions protected when audio monitors or other monitoring devices are used?
  5. 05How are relatives involved in care planning, and how are each person’s independence goals and funded hours recorded?

This was a focused inspection of Safe, Caring and Well-led only; the other key-question ratings were not inspected and the previous ratings were used to calculate the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 2 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.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Hillcrest

3 rated inspections over 9 years: the service has slipped, from Good to Requires improvement.

  1. December 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingdown from Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement

    Read what inspectors found at Hillcrest

  2. November 2017Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodCaring: GoodWell-led: Good

    We are reading this report · the original is on cqc.org.uk

  3. March 2015Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. August 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. February 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. 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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Same provider

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.

2 Hill Close

Pontefract, WF8
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Pontefract, WF7
Good
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Rated 7 years agocare home
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