Holly Tree Lodge EMI Care Home

Updated 23 March 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 16 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 23 March 2021

About the service

Holly Tree Lodge is a residential care home that provides accommodation and nursing or personal care for older people and people living with dementia. The home can accommodate up to 41 people in one adapted building over two floors. At the time of this inspection there were 30 people using the service.

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

People were safe living at Holly Tree Lodge. There were enough staff available to keep people safe and meet their needs. People were supported by staff who had received training in how to safeguard adults from abuse. Risks to people were assessed and staff knew how to manage any identified risks. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed, however we identified some minor improvements could be made to the way people’s medicines were stored. The home was clean and tidy, and people were protected from the spread of infection.

People were cared for by staff who were knowledgeable and skilled. Holly Tree Lodge had been refurbished to help ensure the environment was dementia friendly. People’s relatives provided positive feedback about the care their family member received at Holly Tree Lodge.

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. Staff supported people to maintain their health by supporting people to access community health services. Staff worked alongside community health professionals to ensure people received effective care. People's nutritional needs were met, and people were satisfied with the food provided at Holly Tree Lodge.

People and their relatives were positive about the staff team. They told us staff were kind and caring. People were supported by staff who knew them well. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and people were supported and encouraged to remain involved in decisions about their care. People's privacy was respected, and their independence was promoted.

People's care plans were person-centred and contained information about their life history and preferences for receiving care. This supported staff to provide personalised care to people. Staff supported people to take part in activities in accordance with their preferences. They helped to ensure people were meaningfully occupied throughout the day. The provider had a suitable complaints procedure in place and we found complaints had been investigated and acted upon. The provider had systems in place to ensure people who received care at the end of their life were cared for in accordance with their expressed wishes and any pain was effectively managed.

The home was well-run. People were supported by a team of staff who were happy in their jobs and well-supported by their managers. An experienced manager completed a range of regular checks on the quality and safety of the service. The provider, manager and all staff demonstrated a desire to provide person-centred, high-quality care. People, relatives and staff had opportunities to express their views about 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 20 November 2018). At the last inspection we identified one breach of regulation in relation to medicines management.

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 any regulations.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.