Heather Holmes Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

There was a positive and inclusive culture. People using the service and staff were valued and able to contribute to organisational developments. The registered manager was experienced. Staff found them supportive. There were systems for auditing and checking the quality of the service. These were effectively operated. The provider could demonstrate they made improvements in response to their own audits and feedback from others. This demonstrated lessons had been learned. There was a positive culture focused on meeting individual needs. Staff told us they were able to speak up and that the service was well managed. The provider worked in partnership with other professionals to achieve good outcomes for people.

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 management team understood best practice guidance such as RSRCRC. This had led to staff supporting people in a person-centred way and a positive culture at the service. People were happy and relaxed in their home environment. Relative's comments included, “My relative is an integral part of this community”. One staff member told us they would like to be kept up to date more with recruitment plans, and relatives said they would like more questionnaires asking them for feedback.

The staff team were supported to have a shared direction when supporting people. Staff worked well together and there was good practice to share information about people. The manager and deputy manager had led the staff team to understand people and identify where people could be supported to achieve their goals or try new things. This had a positive impact for people. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the Whistleblowing and Freedom to Speak up policies and their responsibilities to raise any concerns immediately to keep people safe from harm. Staff received the support, guidance, and training relevant to their roles.

Staff said the registered manager had made improvements and provided them with guidance and support. Comments included, “Staff morale is good – sometimes it's stressful, but it's a good team.” and I feel supported in my role. If I need them, they are there”. Staff spoke about the training they received and were confident in their roles. The registered manager told us they felt supported in their role and were listened to with their ideas for development. The registered manager told us they worked closely with the deputy manager to improve managerial oversight of the service.

The registered manager had identified areas for improvement in the environment prior to our visit and an action plan was in place to drive these improvements forward. Systems and processes were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service, and the management team demonstrated a commitment to ensure the improvements made were sustained to ensure people consistently received safe care and achieved good outcomes.

Staff told us there was a culture of speaking up about concerns. Staff told us they felt confident raising any concerns and that action would be taken by the management team. People were encouraged to raise complaints and concerns so they could be addressed.

The manager had put documents in appropriate places to support people to know how to speak up and raise concerns. Staff told us they felt able to report any concerns to their managers or team leaders, and had access to The Happy App. This is an interactive web-based tool to gather real-time feedback from staff. Relatives also felt comfortable to speak up. One relative said, ‘‘We have no need to raise concerns but if we did, I know it would be dealt with immediately.’’ Another person told us their relative had an independent advocate. The Registered Manager understood the need to be open and honest when things went wrong in line with the responsibilities under the duty of candour. There were regular team meetings, where staff had the opportunity to raise concerns and offer suggestions.

Staff told us they felt included in decisions about the service and enjoyed working for the provider. All staff had received equality and diversity training. Staff said they worked together as a team, morale is good, and they had opportunities to progress their career. The registered manager demonstrated a commitment to promoting equality and inclusion in the workforce. They told us, “Where a staff member requires additional support for appointments, childcare etc we work with the staff to be flexible and adjust the rota accordingly. Should a staff member need something more robust and longstanding, agreements can be made in line with flexible working arrangement policy”.

The provider’s policies considered equality and diversity, and we saw risk assessments for staff if indicated e.g. Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessments. Within the organisation there are leads such as Equality and Diversity and Mental Health Champions.

Staff spoken with demonstrated an understanding of their roles and responsibilities and told us they received the training and support required to help them. Staff felt the management team were accessible to them, either within the service or on-call. The local authority quality department told us they were confident of the governance and oversite in place at Heather Holmes.

There were effective systems for monitoring and improving the quality of care and support. The staff and managers were involved in ensuring checks were completed and action was taken when problems were identified. The provider and registered manager had a good overview of the service and worked closely together to monitor this. The provider had recently updated record keeping systems. There was a training plan to transfer all records to electronic systems. The provider had systems where people using their services were involved in quality checking other care homes and services. This helped to make sure people using the service were represented in the governance oversight.

The management and staff team worked with partners in the community such as health professionals if people needed this support. They also linked and worked with local community partners such as the pharmacy and local charities. People were supported to go out into the community regularly and if they chose to do so. There is an emphasis on helping people to feel included in the town they live in by visiting coffee shops, parks, and celebrations. When staff supported people to leave the service people told us they were happy about this, and one relative told us it ""improved their relatives health”. Staff took pictures so people could reminisce and talk about their experiences. The manager had a good working relationship with the local authority and had worked with them to make and sustain improvements at the service. Relatives spoke positively about the registered manager and staff and all they did on behalf of the residents.

The provider worked collaboratively with the local authority and healthcare professionals to promote the health and well-being of people living at the service. The healthcare professionals felt the manager knew the needs of individuals well. “The manager knows their residents very well and so is able to advocate and support them well.”

People’s needs were assessed prior to moving into the service to ensure the service could meet people’s needs safely. The provider had made timely referrals to health and social care professionals and their advice incorporated into people’s care and risk management plans. Care records demonstrated staff closely monitored people’s health and followed recommendations made by outside agencies.

People’s needs were assessed prior to moving into the service to ensure the service could meet people’s needs safely. The provider had made timely referrals to health and social care professionals and their advice incorporated into people’s care and risk management plans. Care records demonstrated staff closely monitored people’s health and followed recommendations made by outside agencies.

The registered manager told us of the improvements which had been made since the last inspection. We saw evidence of this and that recommendations from the local authority quality team were implemented. We observed the manager working alongside staff offering support and guidance. Learning and support are also gained by close working relationships with other service managers in the region.

ince our last inspection the manager, provider and staff team had successfully made and sustained improvements in the areas which required improvement. The registered manager and area manager were open and honest about how some changes in processes were still new and would take more time to be fully embedded at the service. However, the training needs required had been identified and were in progress. We were assured the manager and staff team would continue to make improvements as time went on. The manager and deputy manager used the findings from their audits and from audits completed by eternal partners to put service improvement plans in place. They monitored the actions on the improvement plans and ensured they were completed in a timely fashion. With the support of the organisation the registered manager stayed up to date with best practice guidance and used this to help drive improvement at the service. This had a positive impact for people as explained throughout this report. Improvements had been made since the last inspection. Processes were being strengthened to ensure effective managerial oversight took place. Staff recorded incidents and accidents, and these were reviewed by the registered manager and action taken to prevent reoccurrence. Any lessons learnt were discussed and actions put into place as needed.