The Hollies - Care Home

Updated 29 July 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by 1 inspector and 1 Expert by Experience who made phone calls to people’s relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

The Hollies – Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. The Hollies – Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We looked at information sent to us since the last inspection, such as notifications about accidents and safeguarding alerts. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We contacted the local authority and Healthwatch for feedback. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 6 members of staff including the operations and compliance manager, the registered manager, the deputy manager, a team leader and care staff. We also spoke with 2 people who used the service and 13 friends and relatives. We observed staff interactions and used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We looked around the home to review the facilities available for people and the infection prevention and control procedures in place. We also looked at a range of documentation including care files and daily records for 5 people and medication administration records for 3 people. We looked at 3 staff recruitment files and reviewed documentation relating to the management and running of the service such as staff rotas, training and audits.

Updated 29 July 2023

About the service

The Hollies – Care Home is a residential care home. The service offers accommodation and personal care to people aged 65 and over and people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection, 34 people were using the service. The building is split into 3 different units, Humber unit provides support to people living with dementia, Tranby unit provides support for women living with dementia and Hessle suite offers studio apartments for people.

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

Improvements had been made to the quality and the safety of the service, although the provider’s systems needed further work to ensure they remained effective around health and safety, mental capacity records and quality assurance systems. People told us they were safe, systems were in place to protect people from abuse and concerns had been appropriately reported.

People received their medicines safely and the registered manager was working to improve guidance for ‘as and when required’ medicines. Staff understood risks to people’s safety and well-being and worked to mitigate these risks. Staff were recruited safely and there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. The building was clean, tidy and a programme of redecoration and building improvements had recently been undertaken.

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. Restrictions on people’s liberty were identified and appropriate authorisations had been sought.

People’s needs were assessed and information was used to create detailed care plans which supported staff to provide person-centred care. People’s health and dietary needs were met as staff worked closely with relevant professionals. People were provided with appropriate support at the end of their lives. A relative said, “I couldn’t ask for better care at the end of [Person’s names] life.”

Staff were kind and caring and we received a lot of positive feedback about the care provided. One relative told us, “Whilst we would love [Person’s name] to be in their own home, we are quite happy that they are here. We have no concerns about their safety, and they always look clean, tidy and well nourished.”

A range of group and individual activities were available for people to participate in, though records of people’s participation needed improving.

The registered manager had worked closely with the senior management team to improve the service. We received positive feedback about the registered manager and the culture of the service. People and their relatives had been included in the development of the service.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 22 July 2021) and breaches of regulation were identified.

The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection.

Recommendations

We have made recommendations regarding health and safety processes, systems for the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and quality assurance systems.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to address recommendations. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.