Hillcrest is a care home for nine adults living with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum conditions. At this inspection there were nine people accommodated at Hillcrest.

At the last inspection the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People’s relatives told us that people were safe living in the service. Risks to people were appropriately assessed, planned for and managed. There were sufficient numbers of skilled and competent staff available to provide people with support when they needed it.

Staff received appropriate training, support and development to carry out their role effectively.

The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLs). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. People received appropriate support to maintain healthy nutrition and hydration and to access health support to meet their individual needs.

People who used the service were treated with kindness by staff who respected their privacy and upheld their dignity. People’s relatives and professionals were given the opportunity to feed back on the service and their views were acted on.

People received personalised care that met their individual needs. People were given appropriate support and encouragement to access meaningful activities and follow their individual interests.

People’s relatives told us they knew how to complain and were confident they would be listened to if they wished to make a complaint.

The provider and registered manager worked hard to create an open, transparent and inclusive atmosphere within the service. There was a robust quality assurance system in place and shortfalls identified were promptly acted on to improve the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The inspection took place on 19 October 2015 and was unannounced.

Hillcrest is a care home for nine adults living with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum conditions. There were eight people accommodated at the home at the time of this inspection.

The home had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

CQC is required to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves or others. At the time of the inspection we found that applications had been made to the local authority in relation to the people who lived at Hillcrest.

People felt safe at Hillcrest and were confident to approach the staff. People had health care and support plans in place to help staff know how people liked their needs to be met. Risks to people’s safety and welfare had been identified and support had been planned to enable people to live as safely as possible whilst enjoying a wide range of opportunities for engagement and stimulation. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet people’s care and support needs. People’s medicines were managed safely.

Staff members understood their roles and responsibilities and were supported by the manager to maintain and develop their skills and knowledge. People enjoyed a varied healthy diet and their physical and mental health needs were well catered for.

The atmosphere in the home was welcoming and there was a warm interaction between the staff and people who used the service. People were involved in all aspects of their care and support as much as they were able. People were supported to access support from external advocacy services when needed to help them make decisions about matters in their daily lives. People’s relatives were encouraged to be involved in developing people’s support plans and to visit at any time. People were actively supported to maintain family relationships. Staff promoted people’s dignity and treated them with respect.

People’s care and support was planned around their needs and they, along with family members and professionals, were involved in decisions about their care. People had access to a wide range of activities inside the home and in the wider community to provide them with engagement and stimulation. The provider had made arrangements to support people and their families to raise concerns and meetings were held for people to discuss all aspects of the care and support provided at the home.

The manager and provider promoted a positive culture within the home that was transparent and inclusive. The manager and provider had robust systems to continuously check the quality of the service provided. Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge and felt valued.