A Cambridgeshire care home has been taken out of special measures following a glowing report from Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors. Hill House, in Ellington, was rated ‘Good’ following its latest inspection in November 2024.
The home, run by ADR Care Homes, provides personal care to adults, some of whom live with dementia or physical disabilities. It was previously rated ‘Inadequate’ in June 2023 and remained in special measures after a report published in August 2024.
However, inspectors found that the home has made significant improvements in all aspects of the service. They now find the home to be safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
The latest report, published in January 2025, said: “The service now has a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. People told us staff were continually learning as they supported them.
“The service now routinely monitors people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensure that outcomes are positive and consistent, and that they meet both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves. People and relatives told us staff support them to have good health related outcomes.
“Staff treat colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. People and their relatives were positive about the kind and caring nature of the staff team. Staff spoke with people kindly and compassionately and people were happy and relaxed being supported by them.”
Inspectors also highlighted that leaders have worked to foster a more inclusive and collaborative atmosphere as well as people and relatives telling them they were supported safely with their medicines. They added that the home has significantly enhanced the environment by addressing safety risks and upgrading facilities, with one person saying their room was always spotless.
Stuart Dunn, CQC deputy director of operations in the East of England, said: “When we inspected Hill House, it was encouraging to see the improvements that had been made in response to concerns we raised at our last inspection. Leaders have taken action to foster a positive culture that now prioritises dignity, respect and personalised care.
“The service is now rated as good, and we have removed it from special measures as a result. Everyone at Hill House should be proud of the improvements they’ve made. We’ve shared our findings with them so that they can continue to build on the improvements we saw, and we will continue to monitor the service to make sure these changes are sustained long term.”
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