The inspection took place on the 27 January 2015. The inspection was unannounced. At the last inspection the service was fully compliant with the regulations and no improvements were required.
Holly Lodge is situated in the town of Bridlington. It offers accommodation for up to 19 people who have a mental health illness over two separate properties and has a mixture of single and shared rooms. There are several communal rooms and gardens to the rear of the property. There were seventeen people living at the home on the day of our visit.
The home 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The service had safeguarding vulnerable adult’s policies and procedures which were understood by staff. Staff received training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and all those spoken with confirmed that they would tell someone should any aspect of poor care be observed.
Staff understood individual risks to people and worked with them to minimise these risks whilst also supporting them to remain as independent as possible.
Most people felt that there were enough staff on duty although some people said this could be improved upon particularly at weekends. Appropriate checks were completed when new staff were recruited.
People received their medication as prescribed by their GP. Medication systems were well managed.
The home was clean and free from any unpleasant odour however a programme of redecoration would enhance it further.
People told us they were able to make choices. Their likes, dislikes and personal preferences were recorded within their care records and were known and understood by staff.
Training was provided for all staff and staff could suggest courses which were of interest or which would benefit people living at the home. People living at the home were able to attend training with staff.
Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are part of the MCA (Mental Capacity Act 2005) legislation which is in place for people who are unable to make decisions for themselves. The legislation is designed to ensure that any decisions are made in people’s best interests.
People told us they enjoyed the food and we saw that people could help themselves to food and drink.
People generally expressed positive comments regarding the care they received. The majority told us they were treated with kindness and compassion and we saw this throughout our visit. They told us that staff respected their privacy and maintained their dignity at all times.
People told us that the registered manager and staff responded to their needs. Each person had individual care records which focused on them as a person. They told us that social opportunities were available and said they could choose how to spend their time.
The home had not received any complaints as they dealt with any concerns immediately. The complaints procedure was displayed and people told us they could talk to staff if there was a problem.
The manager and a number of staff had been in post for a long time. They knew the service and the people they supported well.
There were a number of quality monitoring systems in place which aimed to seek the views of people. All of the relatives and health professionals we spoke with said that the manager and staff communicated well.
Staff spoke positively of the culture in place and health professionals said the service was well managed and run.