Archived: Holywell House Care Centre

Holywell House Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 47 people in one purpose-built building over three floors. The service provides support to younger adults and older people, some of whom may be living with a dementia. One floor is dedicated to supporting men only. At the time of our inspection there were 42 people using the service.

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

Government guidance in relation to the wearing of face masks was not always followed. We have made a recommendation about this. Previous concerns had been raised about infection control at Holywell House Care Centre. The management team had been responsive however observations during the inspection evidenced that the systems used to elicit improvements had not been effective. We have made a recommendation about monitoring of infection prevention and control practices.

Safe recruitment practices were followed. Agency staff were being used whilst the manager completed pre-employment checks for staff who had been offered posts.

The manager was not registered with the Commission. They had begun the process to register but had not yet submitted a completed application form.

Risks had been assessed and control measures were in place to minimise the impact on people. Medicines were managed safely. Safeguarding procedures were in place and any allegations of abuse were investigated and addressed.

People’s needs were assessed, and staff worked alongside other health and social care professions to make sure people received appropriate and effective care and support. 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 were well supported and completed relevant training to make sure they could meet people’s needs.

People, and their relatives if appropriate, were included in decision making. People were treated well by staff who were kind and caring. Dignity and privacy was respected. People were encouraged and supported to maintain their independence where possible.

People’s choices and preferences were reflected in care records. Communication plans were in place which supported staff to communicate appropriately with people. Concerns and complaints were investigated and responded to. Relationships with family and friends were encouraged and maintained.

People. relatives and staff were supportive of the manager’s approach and felt communication and morale had improved since they had been in post.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 9 December 2020 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good (published on 2 March 2015).

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about infection control and staffing. A decision was made for us to inspect and complete a five domain inspection as the service had not had a ratings inspection with the current provider. We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Recommendations

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We made two recommendations. Please see the safe and well-led sections of the report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.