Hilltop Lodge

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care. The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to good governance. Improvement was found at this assessment, and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. Managers and staff demonstrated a commitment to providing person-care. Staff told us they worked together as a team to monitor and improve outcomes for people.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. During the inspection most of the feedback from staff was positive in relation to managers of the service. Staff told us they felt supported and listened to. Managers undertook audits of the service and where problems were identified, steps were taken to address these.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. A whistleblowing policy was in place and staff had access to a confidential phone line should they feel they needed to raise concerns outside of the service. Staff told us they knew how to raise concerns if they had any and felt that managers at the service were approachable and supportive. A staff member told us, “If I had a concern, I could raise this with the manager, but if for any reason this was not possible, we have a number we can call to raise concerns, all staff have access to this.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. Staff had access to training in equality and diversity and bullying and harassment. Staff had access to an employee wellbeing app which offered a range of physical and mental health support services. Staff told us they were happy at the service and felt supported. A staff member told us, “I had a health issue, the manager was very supportive and was available to talk to me, their door is always open.”

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. Regular audits were undertaken by the management team, and where issues were identified plans were put into place to rectify these. Staff received induction training, regular supervision and appraisals to monitor and support their roles. Records of training and supervision were maintained to ensure compliance in line with the services policies. The service understood and acted upon its duty to notify regulatory authorities about accidents and incidents.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. Professionals told us the service actively sought information and advice from them when needed, and ensured information given was acted upon. People had access to health and social care professionals when they needed it.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research. Staff at all levels had opportunities to make suggestions about service improvement through staff surveys and daily meetings. People and their relatives had opportunities to offer their feedback about the service and changes made from feedback were documented on a ‘you said, we did’ board located at the service.