Archived: The Hollies Residential Home

The Hollies Residential Home provides accommodation and personal care for 39 older people. The service can support up to 40 people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were positive in their feedback. Comments included; “I feel safe living here. You know that wherever you are in the service, if you have your buzzer, the staff respond quickly. I haven’t had any falls since I have lived here”; “I like living here. I fall over quite a bit, I can call for help and they come quickly”; and, “The atmosphere here is very good.”

We found that there were no comprehensive quality monitoring systems such as care plan audits in place. However, a new quality audit document was being implemented. This would ensure robust monitoring of the service by the registered manager. This was an area for improvement.

Medicine audit by the management was not being carried out. This would have created management oversight of medicine administration in the service. They told us they would review the medicine audit system. This is an area for improvement.

People knew how to complain. However, we found no evidence that concerns raised had been listened to and acted upon by the provider. This is an area for improvement.

People were safe at The Hollies. Staff knew what their responsibilities were in relation to keeping people safe from the risk of abuse. The provider followed safe recruitment practices.

People participated in activities, pursue their interests and maintained relationships with people that mattered to them.

Staff understood the importance of promoting people’s choices and provided the support people required while promoting and maintaining independence. This enabled people to achieve positive outcomes and promoted a good quality of life. One person said, “I am encouraged to look after myself, I am as independent as I can be.”

People received the support they needed to stay healthy and to access healthcare services. Each person had an up to date care plan, which set out how their care and support needs should be met by staff. These were reviewed regularly.

We observed people’s rights, their dignity and privacy were respected.

Staff supported people to maintain a balanced diet and monitor their nutritional health.

Medicines were stored and managed safely by staff. There were policies and procedures in place for the safe administration of medicines. Staff followed these policies and had been trained to administer medicines safely.

People received care from staff who were well supported with induction and training.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (Report published on 10 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating. We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the Responsive and Well Led sections of this full report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The previous inspection of the service took place on 10 October 2013. The service met all the regulations we checked at that time.

People, their relatives and staff spoke highly of the registered manager and management team. They told us the registered manager and the management team were visible, accessible to people, and promoted best practice at the service. People’s views and wishes were considered and used to develop the service.

People’s needs were assessed and care plans contained clear guidance on how to support people. People, their relatives and healthcare professionals were involved in planning people’s care. Care plans had information about people’s individual needs, abilities, preferences and how they wanted their support delivered. People received person centred care that was responsive to their needs, wishes and preferences.

People contributed to reviewing of the support they needed and received input from staff and healthcare professionals involved in their care. People received support in line with the legal requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People accessed the health and care services they needed. Medicines were managed, administered and stored safely. People were enabled to lead meaningful and fulfilled lives and were supported to be as independent as possible.

Staff felt supported in their role and were motivated and committed to providing high standards of care to people. People said staff were kind and caring and understood their individual preferences. We saw friendly and caring interactions between staff and people.

Staff upheld people’s dignity, respected their privacy and promoted their independence. People chose how to spend their time and took part in activities that interested them.

Staff assessed, reviewed and managed risks to people appropriately. Support plans contained sufficient information for staff on how to keep people as safe as possible.

Staff knew how to protect people because they understood the types of abuse and neglect which could happen and their responsibility to report any concerns. There were safe recruitment practices in place and sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people needs.

People had sufficient and nutritious meals and drinks which they liked and were provided in line with their preferences. People were encouraged to invite relatives and friends to join them at mealtimes. People were encouraged to maintain relationships with those important to them and to reduce the risk of social isolation.

People and their relatives were aware of and understood the complaints procedure. The registered manager monitored and investigated accidents and incidents and put plans in place to minimise the risks of a recurrence. Staff used any feedback as an opportunity to learn from incidents and improve the service.

The registered manager undertook checks on the quality of the service and made improvements when necessary. The registered manager worked in partnership with healthcare professionals to ensure people received the support they needed and develop the service.

People told us they were "Happy" living at the Hollies and felt they received a high quality of care from staff. One person said "I am well looked after and have freedom to go to bed when I want to".

We reviewed the individual care plans for four people who used the service and found that these had been updated regularly and met the needs for each person. We found that staff had recorded daily the support given to each person and this was in line with their care plan.

People spoke highly of staff and described them as "Very good" and "Likeable". We observed that staff respected peoples dignity and treated them in a respectful way.

We found that staff followed safe and appropriate procedures for handling and administering people's medications.

The home was bright, clean and tidy. People appeared to be relaxed and at ease in their surroundings. We found that the home was well maintained in order to provide a safe and suitable environment for people to live in.

People said they felt "Safe" and had no complaints about the service. They said that if they had any concerns then they would speak to the manager. One person said "The manager is always here to speak to".

People told us they were happy living at The Hollies and were included in the decisions regarding their care and support. Comments included "I am able to ask for the care that I need when I need it" and "It's very nice here".

People spoke highly of the staff and described them as "Friendly" and "Approachable". One person told us that "The staff are good and listen".

People said they were able to get involved in different activities and were able to choose what they wanted. One person said "There is always enough to do" and "There are plenty of activities and they listen to any suggestions we have".

People who used the service told us they felt safe. One person said "I feel nice and secure here".

Relatives told us that they felt able to raise any concerns with the manager or staff and knew the appropriate action would be taken. Comments included "The manager is always available and addresses issues quickly" and "If I ever have a problem I know I can speak with any of the staff and it will be resolved".

Our review completed on 10 April 2013 found that the provider had taken action to address the identified concerns around the recruitment checks for staff so that only staff who were suitable to work with vulnerable people were employed by the service.