Holly House Residential Home

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 65 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People’s relatives told us staff were kind, caring and patient. A relative said, “I have only witnessed caring attitudes and approaches from them (staff). They are very calm and patient with residents.” Another relative said, “[Person] can get quite anxious, they (staff) have a lot of patience with [person] that I’ve seen.” However, during the inspection, it was noted that staff interactions with people required further development and people’s privacy and dignity was not always respected. For example, the communal bathrooms did not have locks in place to ensure people’s privacy and dignity when using the bathroom. Immediate action was taken by the provider during the inspection to address this and locks were put in place. Several people also told us staff were not always gentle when supporting them to wash or move, and staff did not consistently ensure they were thoroughly dried after being supported with personal care. We shared this feedback with the provider to address accordingly.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. People’s cultural and religious needs were respected by staff and detailed within people’s individual care and support plans. The provider and staff celebrated people as individuals by hosting events for birthdays and religious celebrations. A staff member said, “We find out what hobbies they (people) enjoy and try to include those in their day. Some like music, some like games or chatting. We make time for it.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Staff promoted people’s independence and supported people to remain as independent as possible. Adapted plates and dishes were used to support people to remain independent at mealtimes. A staff member said, “We encourage them (people) to try things by themselves. If they need help, we support, but we don’t take away their independence.” During the inspection we observed the provider and staff enabling people to make choices, such as where they would like to sit for their lunch. However, not all people we spoke with felt staff always offered them choices. A person said, “You don’t get asked what you’d like to do, you’re told what to do.”Some relatives told us staff made choices for people in their best interest where people found it difficult to make choices themselves due to the effects of their dementia.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. People were supported by staff that were familiar to them, which enabled staff to anticipate and meet people’s needs quickly and in ways that reduced and mitigated people’s discomfort and distress. For example, staff made the decision to arrange transportation for a person attend hospital to minimise the wait time for an ambulance and enable the person to be seen sooner by a healthcare professional. Staff had completed training to identify early signs of health deterioration. The provider conducted analysis of instances where people showed signs of ill health to ensure staff acted appropriately and to identify any improvements.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff were very complimentary regarding the support they received from the provider in relation to their wellbeing both at work and in their personal lives. The provider encouraged staff to speak up about their wellbeing. A staff member said, “I feel respected and supported by the whole team, especially the manager who has been amazing.” The provider ensured staff had the opportunity to reflect on their achievements, feelings and learning.