Archived: Hawkhills

Updated 10 July 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 13 May 2015. The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors and an expert-by-experience. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert had experience of older people and dementia care.

Before our inspection, we reviewed the information we held about the home. This included correspondence we had received about the service and notifications submitted by the service.

We contacted commissioners of the service and six external healthcare professionals who had knowledge of Hawkhills. We received feedback from Sheffield local authority contracts officers and a GP. This information was reviewed and used to assist with our inspection.

During our inspection we spoke with 13 people living at the home and nine relatives to obtain their views of the support provided. We spoke with ten members of staff, which included the registered manager, the deputy manager, a team leader, care staff, activity coordinator and ancillary staff such as catering, domestic and administrative staff.

We spent time observing daily life in the home including the care and support being offered to people. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We spent time looking at records, which included four people’s care records, four staff records and other records relating to the management of the home, such as training records and quality assurance audits and reports.

Updated 10 July 2015

Hawkhills is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 40 older people. The home is situated in the Stannington area of Sheffield, close to bus routes and local amenities. Hawkhills is purpose built accommodation provided over three floors. A lift is available and all areas of the home are accessible. All of the bedrooms are single. Each floor has a lounge and dining room. The home has an enclosed garden and car park.

There was a manager at the service who was registered with CQC. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our last inspection at Hawkhills took place on 16 September 2013. The home was found to be meeting the requirements of the regulations we inspected at that time.

This inspection took place on 13 May 2015 and was unannounced. On the day of our inspection there were 30 people living at Hawkhills.

People told us they were well cared for by staff that knew them well, and they felt safe. Comments included, “It’s smashing here, I am quite happy,” “The staff are very good, we are all well looked after” and “I have no worries at all.”

One relative told us, “I’m here a lot and think everyone is well cared for. This is a lovely home.”

We found systems were in place to make sure people received their medication safely.

Staff recruitment procedures were thorough and ensured people’s safety was promoted.

Staff were provided with relevant induction and training to make sure they had the right skills and knowledge for their role. Staff understood their role and what was expected of them. They were happy in their work, motivated and confident in the way the service was managed. The service followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of practice and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This helped to protect the rights of people who may not be able to make important decisions themselves.

People had access to a range of health care professionals to help maintain their health. A varied and nutritious diet was provided to people that took into account dietary needs and preferences so that health was promoted and choices could be respected.

People living at the home, and their relatives said that they could speak with staff if they had any worries or concerns and they would be listened to.

We saw people participated in a range of daily activities both in and outside of the home which were meaningful and promoted independence.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Regular checks and audits were undertaken to make sure full and safe procedures were adhered to. People using the service and their relatives had been asked their opinion via surveys, the results of these had been audited to identify any areas for improvement.