1 December 2015
During a routine inspection
The inspection took place on 1 December 2015 and was announced, 48 hours’ notice of the inspection was given because the service is small and we needed to be sure that the registered manager was available and that people who used the service would be in. At the last inspection in August 2014 the service was judged compliant with the regulations inspected.
The Hollies is a small care home for people with learning difficulties. The property is built to a high specification and bedrooms are spacious and decorated to each person’s tastes. It is situated in the village of Burghwallis, near Doncaster. There are good transport links into Doncaster. It can accommodate up to four people. At the time of this inspection there were two people living at the service.
The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People we spoke with told us they felt safe while staying at the home. One person said, “I like living here and I like the staff.” Staff had a clear understanding of potential abuse, which helped them recognise how they would deal with situations if they arose.
There were enough skilled and experienced staff and there was a programme of training, supervision and appraisal to support staff to meet people’s needs. Procedures in relation to
recruitment and retention of staff were robust and ensured only suitable people were employed in the service.
Medicines were stored and administered safely. Staff and people that used the service were aware of what medicines to be taken and when.
Staff were aware of the Mental Capacity Act and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. At the time of this inspection the registered manager told us they had not found it necessary to use the safeguards. This legislation is used to protect people who might not be able to make informed decisions on their own.
People were encouraged to make decisions about meals, and were supported to go shopping and be involved in menu planning. We saw people were involved and consulted about all aspects of their care and support, where they were able, including suggestions for activities and holidays.
People had access to a wide range of activities that were provided both in-house and in the community. This included walking groups and socialising at discos and meals to pubs for lunch and evening meals.
We observed good interactions between staff and people who used the service. People were happy to discuss the day’s events and people told us they were looking forward to Christmas and all of the festive parties that they would be attending.
People told us they were aware of the complaints procedure and said staff would assist them if they needed to use it.
There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We saw copies of reports produced by the registered manager. The reports included any actions required and these were checked each month to determine progress.