A home providing care for autistic people or those with learning disabilities could close within six months if it fails to improve.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission visited Hillside in Pinner Road, Oxhey, for a follow-up visit after it was rated “inadequate” and placed in “special measures” in September 2022.

The inspection on February 8, 2023, was unannounced and judged the areas of risk assessment, safety of people, medicines management, infection control and helping residents achieve their goals.

As it was a targeted inspection the rating was not expected to change.

But the report, released on March 9, stated that if the home has not improved enough in six months, the CQC “will begin the process of preventing the provider from operating this service.

“This will usually lead to cancellation of their registration or to varying the conditions the registration.

"For adult social care services, the maximum time for being in special measures will usually be no more than 12 months."

Hillside was looking after six residents at the time of the inspection.

While the inspector recognised improvements had been made, there are still areas that need to be addressed.

It was found that staff were benefitting from better risk assessments, but the inspector said more detail needs to be included in them.

And further improvement is still needed to ensure the service “fully embeds” a culture of helping residents to set goals.

Systems had now been improved to ensure staff administered people’s medicines safely, but there are still “some shortfalls in medicine management”.

The inspector found that staff did not always log “as and when required” medicines had been given and some residents did not have “when medicine is required” protocols put in.

However, the manager rectified the issues during the visit, according to the report.

The inspector also said that the service was clean and “free from clutter” and fire safety protocols had improved along with safety drills.

A spokesperson for the home, run by Watford Mencap, said: “We are pleased that the latest report on the follow-up visit to our care home in Oxhey is a positive reflection on the work the team have put into implementing the detailed action plan following the previous September 2022 inspection.”