- Care home
Holgate House
Assessment report published 6 July 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Assessment Date: 11 May to 12 June 2026.
Holgate House is a residential care service supporting adults with learning disabilities, mental health conditions and adults both over and under 65 years. People told us they felt safe living at the service and staff understood safeguarding processes and how to raise concerns. There was a consistent staff team who knew people well, and people received support in a timely way. The environment was safe but worn in places; leaders were aware of this and had plans in place to refurbish and improve the premises. Staff worked well with external professionals to support continuity of care, and infection prevention and control practices were followed appropriately.
The service mostly demonstrated the principles of Right support, Right care and Right culture. People were supported to have choice and control over their lives, access the community and maintain relationships, which reflected a person-centred approach. Staff understood people’s needs well and promoted independence, dignity and respect. However, some systems, including care planning, risk assessment and monitoring of outcomes, required further development to ensure support was consistently personalised, evidence-based and clearly reflected what mattered to people. Improvements to documentation and oversight were in progress, but not yet fully embedded. The environment was also not in line with Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture as it was a large service with 18 people living there. While the provider plans to reduce the maximum occupancy to 22, this is still more than what would be in line with best practice to support people with a learning disability and autism.
Care was kind, respectful and person-centred, and people told us they were treated with dignity and as individuals. Staff promoted people’s independence, choice and control, and people were supported to access their communities and maintain relationships. However, the effectiveness of care required improvement. Care planning and risk assessments were not always detailed or consistent, and health-related planning and outcome monitoring needed further development to ensure care was consistently evidence-based and focused on what mattered to people. Leaders had recognised these shortfalls and had begun to make improvements, but these were not yet fully embedded. The service was well led overall, with a new manager who had made positive changes in a short period of time. People, staff and professionals reported improvements in leadership, culture and openness, and governance systems were being strengthened to support sustained improvement and a positive learning culture.
The provider was previously in breach of regulation 12 and 17 at the last inspection. Improvements were found at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of these regulations.
People's experience of this service
People had a largely positive experience of living at Holgate House and told us they felt safe and well cared for. People and relatives described a settled environment where staff knew people well and provided support in a kind and respectful way. One relative told us, “[Relative] is safe there… they look after [them] and make sure [they’re] eating” and, “[They] seems to be looked after quite well.”
People felt staff were available when they needed support and responded in a timely way. There was a stable staff team and people did not report having to wait long for assistance. Staff supported people to access healthcare and manage medicines safely, and relatives were confident medicines were given as needed. One relative said, “They get help to make sure they gets it [medicine].”
People described being treated with dignity and respect. Staff supported people with personal care in a sensitive way and ensured people’s privacy was maintained. A relative told us, “They make sure they get a haircut and has a shower.” People felt staff were kind and understanding, and observations during the inspection supported this, with positive interactions seen between staff and people.
People were supported to take part in activities and access the community. One relative told us, “They go out, bowling, see a film… they had a karaoke the other week.” However, records showed that for some people, engagement was not always consistent and the impact of activities on wellbeing was not always reviewed.
People and relatives felt able to raise concerns and were confident they would be listened to. One relative told us that when concerns had been raised, staff acted and improvements were made, which increased reassurance and confidence in the service. Overall, people experienced a caring and supportive atmosphere, with positive relationships between staff and people, and improving leadership that had begun to enhance people’s day‑to‑day experiences.