We carried out a review of the data available to us about Holly Tree Lodge Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Holly Tree Lodge Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Holly Tree Lodge is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 40 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 40 people, some of whom may be living with dementia.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People living at Holly Tree Lodge were happy and well cared for. People felt safe and were encouraged to be independent with all areas of daily living. Staff provided support in line with people's diverse needs. People received their medicines as prescribed and systems were in place to ensure these were administered according to best practice guidelines.
Recruitment checks were carried out to ensure staff were suitable to work in the service. Staff had received training and support to enable them to carry out their role. Staff were kind and caring and promoted positive relationships with people within the environment. Staff understood their roles clearly and knew what was expected of them. People were treated with respect and dignity and were also supported to maintain their safety and wellbeing.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff had positive links with health care professionals, which promoted people's wellbeing. Care and support were tailored to each person's needs and preferences. People and their relatives were fully involved in developing and updating their planned care and spoke positively about the service.
The registered manager led by example to ensure people received a good service. People and staff told us the management team were approachable and listened to them when they had any concerns. All feedback was used to make continuous improvements to the service.
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 (published 07 February 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
People living at the home were of mixed ages. Some people required more assistance either because of physical illnesses, mental health needs or because they were experiencing difficulties coping with everyday tasks, with some having memory loss.
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.
CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way, usually to protect themselves. At the time of our inspection there was no one subject to such an authorisation.
We found that people’s health care needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in a consistent way through the use of their care plans. People were involved in the planning of their care. The information and guidance provided to staff in the care plans was clear. Risks associated with people’s care needs were assessed and plans were put in place to minimise risk in order to keep people safe. We found that the care plans and risk assessments fully reflected the needs of people and what action staff should take to prevent a person from being at risk of harm.
We found that there were sufficient staff to meet the needs of people using the service. The provider had taken into consideration the complex needs of each person to ensure their needs could be met through a 24 hour period. The home was divided into two units and a core staff team worked in each unit, with some staff working across units depending on people’s needs.
People were treated with kindness and respect. Staff in the home took time to speak with the people they were supporting. We saw many positive interactions and people enjoyed talking to the staff in the home. The staff on duty knew the people they were supporting and the choices they had made about their care and their lives. People were supported to maintain their independence and control over their lives.
People had a choice of meals, snacks and drinks. Meals could be taken in dining rooms, sitting rooms or people’s own bedrooms. Staff encouraged people to eat their meals and gave assistance to those that required it. There were menus on display so people could remind themselves of the choices they had made.
The provider used safe systems when new staff were recruited. All new staff completed training before working in the home. On-going training was available for all staff. Professionally trained nurses were supported to maintain their registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
People had been consulted about the development of the home and quality checks had been completed to ensure the home could meet people’s requirements. There was an analysis of quality checks and any lessons to be learnt were passed on to staff through meetings and supervision sessions.
We found people received care and support that met their needs. A relative told us, 'Staff are absolutely wonderful. The care given is brilliant. I can't fault it.' A member of staff told us, 'Care is excellent, I would bring my relative here.'
We found that people were provided with suitable and nutritious food and drink in sufficient quantities to meet their individual needs and preferences. One person who lived at the home told us, 'We get a choice but I would like more variety.'
The provider had in place systems to regularly monitor and assess the quality of the service provided.
We found that people were cared for in a safe and caring environment and the service was well led and managed
We also used a number of different methods to help us understand the experiences of some of the people who used the service. This was because they had complex needs which meant that they were not able to tell us about their experiences.
We looked at records, including personal care plans. We spoke to the manager and staff who were supporting people, and we observed how they provided that support. We also spoke with one relative who was visiting the home.
The relative told us that, 'They (staff) are brilliant. When my relative was poorly they knew just what to do.'
We observed that staff provided sensitive support using special equipment when people needed help with moving safely, during meal times and when people were undertaking individual or group activities.
Other professionals who did not work at the home told us that the service offered personalised support for people, and were responsive to people's needs.