The Hollies

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 75 (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’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing, and communication needs with them.

Staff assessed people’s needs prior to them moving to the service to ensure it was the right service for them, staff were able to meet their needs and there was sufficient staffing in place. Staff continued to review people’s needs to identify any changes in people’s care and support.

The provider was in the process of transferring all paper-based care records to an electronic system. This system enabled staff to have instant access to updated records, ensuring people received the care and support they needed. We viewed both paper and electronic records. We found most support plans were detailed and individualised. Where we found a small number of records that required more detail, the provider acted promptly and made these changes.

People’s assessments considered their health, care, wellbeing, and communication needs. This ensured they received care and support that enabled them to achieve the best possible outcomes. Staff understood people’s current needs. People’s care plans and risk assessments were detailed and included individual outcomes.

We asked people and their relatives if they had the opportunity to be involved in planning care and support and attend reviews.People and relatives told us they were involved in formulating care plans and were kept informed of any changes. This meant people’s care was tailored to their individual needs, promoting better outcomes and wellbeing.

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards. People were supported in line with evidence based best practice.

Staff were knowledgeable about how to support people’s dietary requirements. People’s nutrition and hydrations needs were met. We saw that people’s food and fluid intake was recorded and monitored where needed. People were given choices each day of what they would like to eat for their meals.

Managers had quickly identified people’s change in needs, made appropriate referrals for specialist support and ensured this was documented. Staff were able to work with people to develop effective and person-centred ways of supporting them guided by up-to-date knowledge and standards, improving health outcomes and safety.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Staff told us they worked well together as a team, to meet people's needs. A staff member said, “Everyone is really supportive and really helpful to me, and I feel like we have got a good little team. We know the guys really well and no issues with anybody not having the best interest of the guys, got a lovely team.”

Staff worked well with external professionals to ensure transitions were well coordinated and planned in line with people preferences. The management team worked closely with health and social care professionals to ensure people’s needs were met. One visiting professional said, “If I could come more often I would. I think it is a nice place to be.”

This meant people received coordinated care from teams who communicated well and worked together effectively.

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice, and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

People had autonomy and choice about where they spent their time. People had annual health checks. People also had access to opticians and dentists. This meant any underlying health issues could be identified and addressed early. Staff worked closely with the local GP practice and a doctor completed a visit to the service 3 to 4 times a month, which ensured people received consistent, preventative healthcare, tailored to their needs.

Staff recognised the link between mental wellbeing and people being empowered to achieve goals and engage in activities of their choice. People had been supported to identify goals and develop skills. Information about what worked well and what did not work was shared between the staff team to help develop consistent approaches and improve outcomes. Detailed daily records were kept and were available to be accessed by family members, providing a transparent system for families to monitor care and support being provided.

This meant people were encouraged and supported to improve their health and wellbeing in ways that mattered to them.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

People were supported to achieve outcomes which were meaningful to them. People's goals and aspirations were explored and staff supported people to achieve them. This ensured people achieved outcomes which enhanced their independence, confidence and quality of life.

We received positive feedback from a medical professional who worked with the staff at The Hollies. They told us there was a person who had lost weight and was referred for further investigations at the local hospital. The medical professional asked staff to monitor the person’s weight. Staff made sure the person was weighed ready for the visiting professional’s next visit, so they had up to date information in time for them arriving. This meant any underlying health issues could be identified and addressed early.

The provider told people and their relatives about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment. People were supported to make choices about their day and night routines, with these preferences clearly recorded in their support plans. This included people’s right to be able to choose where they wanted to go in their local area. Accessible information such as meal planners and daily diaries had been used to help people understand and contribute to their daily routines.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The MCA requires that, as far as possible, people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible. People's capacity was assessed in line with the MCA and, where people did not have capacity, decisions were made in their best interest.

We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), whether appropriate legal authorisations were in place when needed to deprive a person of their liberty, and whether any conditions relating to those authorisations were being met. We found the provider and staff worked within the principles of the MCA and if needed, appropriate legal authorisations were in place to deprive a person of their liberty.

Staff were trained in the MCA and knew the importance of this legislation and making sure people were asked for consent whilst being supported. The management team completed assessments and made decisions in people’s best interests if they lacked capacity to make specific decisions themselves. This meant that people's rights were consistently respected and upheld, ensuring they received care and treatment in line with their individual needs, preferences, and legal protections.