Holder House

Updated 22 May 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Holder House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service had a manager, who was registered with the Care Quality Commission. The registered manager and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced, we gave the service one day notice to ensure no one had COVID-19 symptoms. We visited the home on 30 April 2021.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had requested from the service in relation to quality assurance systems and care records. The provider was not asked to return a provider information return (PIR) prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager, three staff members and two people using the service. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and samples of medication records. We looked at two staff personnel files in relation to recruitment and staff support. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and environmental checks were also viewed.

After the inspection

We contacted two relatives of people using the service and six external professionals to seek their views. We also spoken with two more staff. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found.

Updated 22 May 2021

About the service

Holder House is a residential service registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 14 adults who experience mental ill health. The service had recently moved to the new, purpose-built site comprising of people’s living spaces and communal areas. An adjacent building was used for staff offices. There were 13 people living at the service at the time of our visit.

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

People were safe at the service and supported by a sufficient number of safely recruited staff. The team used an innovative way to plan the staffing rotas that ensured there was always a right mix of skills on duty. People were supported to have their medicines safely and as prescribed. We recommended that the provider refers to the good practice guidance around records surrounding ‘as required’ medicine. Risks to people's well-being and any individual conditions had been assessed and regularly reviewed. Staff followed good practice around infection control.

People were supported to meet their dietary and health care needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff worked well with various external professionals to ensure people had access to health care services. External professionals were very complimentary about the care provided to people at the home.

People benefitted from a caring and committed team that put people first. People told us staff respected their privacy and dignity. The registered manager created an open and inclusive culture that respected people’s diversity. Each person was allocated a committed key worker who knew them well. The records confirmed people had regular meetings with their key worker to talk about their goals, review their progress and share their views. People received support that met their assessed needs, including communication needs were met.

There was an experienced, registered manager who ensured the service was well run. People, their relatives and staff were complimentary about the management team. Staff were listened to, well supported and valued. People were often consulted, and their views had been considered when planning their support. The registered manager ensured their regulatory responsibilities had been met, for example required statutory had been submitted. The team demonstrated an open and transparent approach with an emphasis on a continuous improvement.

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

Rating at last inspection

This was our first inspection at this service since they de-registered under the new provider with us on 29 April 2019.

Why we inspected

This was a routine, planned inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.