Holly Cottage

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

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. We observed people being treated with respect and they appeared happy within their home. People’s rooms were personalised, and staff supported people to make choices for themselves. People were supported to create personal space and take control of what happened within their home. People were involved in choosing their meals. The provider had devised creative ways to make people feel part of the home. For example, when a person moved in that suffered with claustrophobia, the conservatory was adapted to provide more space for them, and the service created garden space for them. This meant they felt more at ease within the home. People were supported to access the local community.

This service scored 70 (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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. The provider took keen interest in people’s history and told us that that this guided the support that was provided for everyone.

The managers knew the next of kin for people and encouraged contact with families. The manager told us, ‘Holly Cottage is a small family, and we want those that live here to thrive and lead fulfilling lives’. This was reflected in how the staff supported people during our observation.

Staff told us that where they had doubts in certain situations, the managers were always available to offer support. Staff felt empowered to communicate with people’s families and external professionals. One staff member told us that, ‘Holly Cottage has a caring and encouraging culture. To deliver the best possible care, the team collaborates. I feel valued for my contributions, and staff morale is high.’

Staff showed an understanding of people’s needs and had received the right training. Support was organised for people to access services, and staff knew what they were doing on any given day. We observed that staff sought people’s opinions and offered choices in their interactions. During mealtimes we saw that people were offered a choice of meals and these were prepared in line with people’s dietary requirements

The provider treated people as individuals and aimed to ensure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

We found that people’s rooms were personalised and has been decorated the way they wanted their private space to be. There was emphasis on making sure that the things and family that were important to people were on display within their bedrooms and spoken about frequently.

The manager and staff understood the challenges of supporting people with different needs. They helped to ensure people had choices and devised creative means of supporting people. The manager told us that 1 autistic person liked to keep to themselves as they hated noise and consequently were isolated. The provider had created a quiet area within the library in the home so that they could still be part of the community, while getting the peace and quiet they craved.

The manager told us that they supported people to keep in touch with family. Some people were supported by staff when visiting family. Relatives told us that they felt welcome when visiting people within the home and felt that it was one big family. One person told us, 'The staff are welcoming, and the home has a good atmosphere. All the staff are experienced and good professionals.'

The provider promoted people’s independence and aimed to give them choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. We observed people making daily living choices and taking ownership of their home. However, access to a range of activities was limited. There was an activity plan for the location and people were encouraged to go out into the local community for a drive or for walks. We observed that the in-house activities did not seem to be well coordinated. The location did not have an activities coordinator, and the record of people’s daily activities was inconsistent. Although people enjoyed the local area, we found opportunities to engage with the wider community and increase people’s experiences were limited. People attended coffee mornings in the local village hall and went for long walks, but activities were not varied.

One person chose to stay in their room and did not like to watch tv. Staff respected their choices and still provided options for them to decide what they wanted to do. The person told us that, ‘I can sometimes be a bit stubborn and set in my ways, but the staff do try. They really do and are polite to me.’

A relative of a person within the service told us that, ‘[Person] is independent, but staff support him whilst he’s showering, definitely promote independence as he carries out most personal tasks and helps out in the kitchen with washing up. ‘

Staff told us that empowering people and watching them thrive was the best feeling. Staff were person centred and understood the abilities and limits of the people within the service. Staff told us that they were ‘enablers’ and thus worked with people to release their potential. Staff used a variety of tools including pictures to support people to make daily living choices.

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. We saw that where people could not communicate using words, staff were caring and compassionate. Staff anticipated people’s needs quickly and in ways that reduced and mitigated people’s discomfort and distress.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported them to deliver person-centred care. The provider had taken steps to support their overseas staff on their arrival in the United Kingdom. One staff member told us, 'The manager also played a vital role in helping me find a suitable home, ensuring my family’s comfort and stability. [Their] care extended beyond professional support.'