HF Trust - Hollycroft

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• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

At our last inspection we rated this key question Good. At this inspection the rating has remained Good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider made sure people received person-centred care that was in line with their preferences, likes and dislikes. Staff and the management team knew people well and knew how they wanted to be supported. They made changes to people’s support if it became clear people wanted to be supported differently or if they discovered a new like or dislike. People’s care plans were individualised and detailed how people wanted to be supported in line with their individual likes and dislikes. We saw staff supporting people in line with their individual preferences. For example, staff supported people to take part in past times they were interested in such as taking part in arts and crafts or going out in the community to visit places of interest. One person said, ‘‘I am busy here. Do lots of stuff like going out to a golf range or going to the zoo or for a coffee.’’ A relative said, ‘‘[Family member] has a brilliant team of staff who have really got to know them as a person.’’

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. Staff supported people to get in contact with health professionals if this was necessary. People were actively supported to be a part of their community and to follow their interests outside of the service. For example, people had been supported to access community activities, visit local restaurants and pubs and go for walks in the local community. One person signed to us to tell us how they spent their time in the community and was visibly happy whilst doing this. The registered manager recognised and understood the importance of continuity of care and had recruited and trained a consistent staff team who fully embraced the values of the service and knew people well. One person told us, ‘‘I know all the staff and know who is going to be working every day.’’ A relative said, ‘‘Staff consistency was always an issue at the service but not anymore (the last couple of years). Having continuity of care is really important for [family member] and they are much happier as a result.’’

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. Staff knew how to support people with different communication need such as using signs or objects to help them communicate. We saw staff using signs to help a person make a choice about what they wanted to do in the evening. People’s support plans had been tailored and made available to them in accessible formats, so they understood what was in them and what was being used by the staff team to support them. The management team made sure information such as policies and procedures were available in easy read and accessible formats. One relative told us, ‘‘[Staff] can talk to [family member] as well, if not better than we can. They really take note of how they communicate and what they are saying.’’

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. The management and staff team made sure people, and their relatives were given the opportunity to feed back about their care and support regularly. Staff held individual meetings with people to discuss their support and any recent experiences they had which they enjoyed. These were recorded in ways that made sense to people so they could see that staff took action based on their feedback. Staff took time to listen to people as they were being supported throughout the day. This enabled people to feed back about how they were being supported at every opportunity. One person said, ‘‘Staff are always chatting with us.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘The staff all know us and make us feel welcome when we visit. They really listen.’’

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. Staff supported people to contact health professionals such as GP’s or the emergency services if this was necessary. They followed professionals’ advice to help make sure people were supported safely. Staff advocated for people when they went to their appointments. People were supported to use equipment to support them to be more independent if this was necessary. One person said, ‘‘I was finding it more difficult to walk so staff helped me get a walker. I feel better now.’’

The registered manager and staff team always ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and they met the expectations of people and their relatives. People had been supported to have great experiences at the service and achieve incredibly positive outcomes.

The registered manager had completely encouraged the staff team to understand that nothing was out of bounds, and they would be fully supported to help people achieve whatever outcomes they needed. Historically staff had not supported people to do this and whilst people were happy, they were not being supported to have good outcomes and live their lives to the fullest. Now, thanks to the support from the staff team this was no longer the case, and people had every opportunity to explore their interest and have good outcomes. For example, people had not been supported to go on holidays for some time, however staff had sat with them and planned and booked a holiday based specifically around their interests. For example, one person went on a holiday based around their favourite films and another person went on a holiday based around their favourite TV shows. One person described this as ‘brilliant’. Another person was supported to go and see their favourite animals at an animal sanctuary. A relative said, ‘‘[Family member] has so many great experiences with the staff team. The staff are always on the lookout for something new to do and will do whatever they can to make [family member’s] desires come true.’’

The staff team had discussed people’s interests with them and then supported them as best they could to follow these. For example, 1 person had a keen interest in dogs and had been supported to volunteer as a dog walker. Another person had a love of music and had been supported to go to a local music festival. We saw pictures of people really embracing and enjoying these experiences. Other people had been supported to do things that in the past they had not been able to do, for example swimming and attending local community clubs. One person said, ‘‘I love going out. [Staff] take me whenever I want to go.’’ A relative told us, ‘‘[Family member’s] social life is amazing now. They go out wherever and whenever they want and whenever we see them, they are beaming and so happy.’’

More than anything the way in which the registered manager and staff team had truly embraced best practice guidance such as RSRCRC had led to people having fantastic experiences and quality of life at the service. People who may find it more difficult to be seen and be a part of their local community did not have this challenge at the service thanks to the support they were receiving. Staff had fully supported people to understand and set their own specific goals and ambitions and had then taken positive steps to make sure people could achieve these. People were at the centre of their support and fully involved in all aspects of the running of the service, how they were supported and how they spent their time. We discuss many more positive experiences and outcomes for people throughout the ‘Caring’ and ‘Well-led’ sections of this report.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. People and their relatives where appropriate had been supported to put plans in place for the future including the end of their lives, if they chose to do so. Staff knew who to contact for support if people needed help at the end of their life. Most people had lived at the service for a number of years and staying there in the future was important to them. The registered manager told us how supporting people to stay at the service was a key priority for them and they would do whatever was needed to support people to live at the service for as long as they were able to. They told us the goal of the service was to make the service people’s home for life, and this value was important and truly understood by the staff team.