This inspection took place on the 15 May 2017 and was unannounced. This was the first inspection of this service under new ownership and was registered on 21 May 2015.

Hilltop House is a care home which is registered to provide care (without nursing) for up to eight people with mental health needs some of whom are older adults. The home is a large building situated within a row of houses on a residential housing estate on the outskirts of Twyford in Berkshire. It is located near to local amenities and public transport. There were seven people living in the home at the time of the inspection.

There was a registered manager for the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

The recruitment and selection process ensured people were supported by staff of good character. There was a sufficient amount of qualified and trained staff to meet people’s needs safely. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns they had about the care and welfare of people to protect them from abuse.

People were provided with effective care from a core of dedicated staff who had received support through supervision, occasional staff meetings and training. People’s care plans detailed how they wanted their needs to be met. Risk assessments identified risks associated with general, personal and specific behavioural and/or health related issues. They generally helped to promote people’s independence whilst minimising the risks. Staff treated people with kindness and respect and had some contact with people’s families, where appropriate and possible to make sure they were informed about the care and support their relative received.

The service had taken the necessary action to ensure they were working in a way which recognised and maintained people’s rights. They understood the relevance of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and consent issues which related to the people in their care.

Staff were supported to receive the training and development they needed to care for and support people’s individual needs. People received good quality care. The provider had taken some steps to periodically assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. Quality was monitored through general oversight, care reviews and feedback from people and their representatives.