We inspected Hill View Manor on 5 and 10 December 2018. The service had been previously registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under another of the provider’s services. This was the first inspection of the service since it registered separately in December 2017.

Hill View Manor is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own flats.

This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented, and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support service.

Hill View Manor provides support for adults aged 55 and over. There are 40 flats at the extra care housing facility. The housing scheme has accessible communal areas, a garden and a hairdressing salon. A guest flat was available for visitors to stay at the service. The housing provider arranged for lunches to be served in the dining room at an extra charge. Hill View Manor housing scheme was run by a housing provider with an estate manager based on-site.

Not everyone using Hill View Manor receives a regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of inspection there were 14 people receiving a regulated activity. The service provides planned care visits and an emergency responder service to all those living in the housing scheme.

The service is registered to provide support for people with dementia, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, mental health needs, older people, people with a physical disability and those with sensory impairment. At the time of inspection, the majority of people receiving a service were older people.

Where services support people with learning disabilities or autism we expect them to be developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any other citizen. There were no people with a learning disability or autism using the service when we inspected. Therefore, we were unable to assess and monitor if the service was following this guidance.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with 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.

People were supported to remain safe and appropriate staffing levels were maintained. Risk assessments identified specific risks to individuals to help staff keep them safe. Staff had a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities.

People received support following accidents, incidents and ‘near misses’. This information was reviewed by senior members of staff to look at how the service could improve to maintain people’s safety.

Care plans reflected where people had capacity to make decisions for themselves and where they may choose to make unwise decisions. People’s care plans were discussed with them. Signed consent records showed people were consulted and in agreement with their care arrangements.

Staff were supported through training and supervision to understand the requirements of their role and people’s support needs. Staff worked effectively with health professionals to e