Archived: The Hollies

We found the following examples of good practice.

There were systems and processes in place, in line with guidance, to ensure visitors to the home did not introduce and spread Covid-19.

Staff followed government guidance in relation to personal protective equipment (PPE). All staff were wearing face masks. The home had sufficient supplies of PPE.

A documented ongoing testing regime was in place for visitors, staff and people living in the home. Appropriate processes were in place should anyone display any symptoms of Covid-19.

There was adequate access and take up of testing and vaccination for staff and people using services. The service had in place a robust admission and discharge process for people.

We observed the home to be clean, maintained and with a programme of improvements. All areas of the home were subject to regular and enhanced cleaning regimes.

Staff supported people's social and emotional wellbeing. Alternative forms of maintaining social contact were in place including regular video calls.

The home had a visiting plan in place in line with current guidance.

All staff had undertaken training in infection prevention and control (IPC) and the donning and doffing of PPE.

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

People spoke highly of the care they received at The Hollies. They said staff were kind and caring. They felt included in planning their daily activities and enjoyed a range of different events. People’s needs were met promptly, and staff were attentive.

Staff knew how to respond quickly to any safeguarding issues and report appropriately. Risks were managed with the individual at the heart of any assessment. Medication and infection control practice was safe, and the home was clean.

The registered manager understood what makes best practice and was supported by a pro-active provider who ensured any required changes were notified and implemented promptly. Staff were supported with regular meetings and training and felt they could discuss any concerns.

Food and drink were plentiful and offered to people in an appetising manner to promote good nutrition. People’s changing needs were responded to quickly and discreetly. Staff were respectful, and all told us they were very aware this was people’s home.

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.

Care documentation was detailed and person-centred and amended when needed. People took part in discussions about their care and were happy to raise any issues.

The provider had robust quality assurance practices in place which were comprehensive and showed any actions were quickly met.

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

Rating at last inspection - Good (report published 21 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.

The Hollies provides personal care and accommodation for up to 29 older people. The service is a converted older property with accommodation on three levels accessed by a lift. It is situated in Wakefield. At the time of the inspection the home was providing care for 25 people, some of whom had a diagnosis of dementia.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

People told us they felt the home was a safe place to live. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding people from abuse, and were able to explain the procedures to follow should there be any concerns of this kind.

Recruitment processes were thorough so helped the employer make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff. At the time of our inspection we found there was adequate staff on duty to meet people’s care needs in a timely manner. Although staff told us that on occasions at night it could be busy.

The registered manager told us they did not have or use a staffing dependency tool. This would determine people’s level of needs and care hours required to ensure there were adequate staff on duty at all times. We were told dependency was discussed with staff to determine staffing levels.

Systems were in place to protect people by the prevention and control of infection. However, we identified these had not always been followed.

Care plans reflected people’s needs and had been reviewed and updated to reflect people’s changing needs

Medicines were stored safely and procedures were in place to ensure they were administered correctly.

The manager was aware of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). There were policies and procedures in place and key staff had been trained. This helped to make sure people were safeguarded from excessive or unnecessary restrictions being place on them.

People were treated with respect, kindness and understanding. Staff demonstrated a good awareness of how they respected people’s preferences and ensured their privacy and dignity was maintained. We saw staff took account of people’s individual needs and preferences while supporting them. People had access to activities and stimulation.

People were supported appropriately to eat and drink sufficient to maintain a balanced diet and adequate hydration.

There was a system in place to tell people how to raise concerns and how these would be managed. People told us they would feel comfortable raising any concerns with the management team.

People we spoke with told us the management team were approachable, always ready to listen and acted promptly to address any concerns.

There were systems in place to assess if the home was operating correctly and people were satisfied with the service provided. This included meetings and regular audits. Action plans had been put in place to address any areas that needed improving. The areas we had identified that required improvement had been identified and were being addressed.

We spoke with the manager, the operations manager and three members of staff who were working on the day of our visit. We spoke with people who lived there and with three relatives. We reviewed four people's care records and three staff files.

We found there was no strong smell of urine in the home, people's needs were appropriately met and there were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to care for people. We saw staff were kind and caring with people and they promptly attended to their personal care needs.

We found staff had received regular training and support to carry out their role.

People told us they enjoyed living at The Hollies. People said they liked the people caring for them. One person told us they 'love' their bedroom and had everything they needed.

Another person told us they liked the meals and had a choice of menu and if they wanted something else all they had to do was ask. Another person told us they liked helping in the garden and showed us the rose bushes they had planted and had watered that morning.

A visiting District Nurse told us that they enjoyed coming to the home. All the staff were very friendly and they were always made to feel welcome. They also said that there was always a homely atmosphere in The Hollies and all the people living there seemed happy and were well were cared for.

Another person living in the home told us that they liked the activities and in particular playing Bingo and having parties.

Staff we spoke with understood what to do if they observed poor practise and abuse and felt confident action would be taken by management in the home to protect people.

A sample of staff records showed that appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work.The Registered Manager stated that staff would only be deployed to give care when they had been assessed as competant to do the job.

People told us they felt safe and well cared for. One person said the carers were 'absolutely wonderful and couldn't be better'.

You can see our judgements on the front page of this report.