We carried out a review of the data available to us about The Hollies Residential Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about The Hollies Residential Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
The Hollies Care Home is a residential care home that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 18 people with mental health problems. On the day of our visit there were 15 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were protected from abuse by staff who understood how to identify and report any concerns. The risks to people’s health, safety and welfare had been assessed, recorded and plans put in place to reduce these. Staffing levels enabled people’s needs to be met safely, and ensured people received consistent and reliable support. The management team sought to learn from any accidents or incidents involving people. The home was clean and followed infection control principles.
There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and they were recruited safely. Staff received appropriate training and support to enable them to carry out their role effectively. 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. People were happy with the food provided
Staff were exceptionally caring and treated people with kindness and respect. People’s confidentiality was protected, and their independence was highly promoted. Staff were excellent at understanding and engaging with people, they worked positively with people and had an in-depth understanding of their mental health needs.
People had clear, detailed and person-centred care plans, which guided staff on the most appropriate way to support them. People were confident to raise any concerns.
There was a clear management structure and staff were supported by the registered manager and provider. Quality assurance systems were completed in a robust and consistent manner.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection and update
The last rating for this service was good (published 27 March 2017).
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.
The Hollies is a large detached house built in 1801 in the centre of Norton. The Hollies provides services for up to 18 adults with mental health problems.
Risks to people arising from their health and support needs and the premises were assessed, and plans were in place to minimise them.
There were systems in place to ensure that people received their medication as prescribed.
There was enough staff to meet people's needs. Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work. Staff told us they received training to be able to carry out their role. Staff were given effective supervision and a yearly appraisal.
Staff understood safeguarding issues, and felt confident to raise any concerns they had in order to keep people safe.
People were supported to maintain a healthy diet, and people’s dietary needs and preferences were catered for. People told us they had a choice of food at the service, and that they enjoyed it.
The service worked with external professionals to support and maintain people’s health.
The interactions between people and staff were cheerful and supportive. Staff were kind and respectful.
Care was planned and delivered in way that responded to people’s assessed needs. Plans contained detailed information on people’s personal preferences.
People had access to a wide range of activities, which they enjoyed.
The service had a clear complaints policy that was applied when issues arose.
The registered manager was a visible presence at the service, and was actively involved in monitoring standards and promoting good practice. The service had quality assurance systems in place which were used to drive continuous improvements.
Further information is in the detailed findings below:
The inspection visit took place on the 1st and 2nd October 2014 and the first day was unannounced.
The Hollies is a large detached house built in 1801 in the centre of Norton. The home provides services for up to 18 adults with mental health needs.
We last inspected the home on 13th October 2013 and found the service was not in breach of any regulations at that time.
There was a registered manager in post who had been registered with the Care Quality Commission for two and a half years. ‘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.’
On the first day of our visit the registered manager explained the policies and procedures in relation to the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivations of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) were not kept separate and were incorporated within other policies. On the second day of our visit the manager had rewritten the policies so they were stand alone. The registered manager had the appropriate knowledge to know when an application should be made and how to submit one. This meant people were safeguarded. We found the location to be meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
People told us they felt safe living at the home. We found the registered manager had appropriate systems in place to protect people from risk of harm.
We found people were provided with support and care by staff that had the appropriate knowledge and training to effectively meet their needs. The skill mix and staffing levels were also sufficient. Robust recruitment processes were in place and followed, with appropriate checks undertaken prior to staff working at the service. This included obtaining references from the person’s previous employer as well as checks to show that staff were safe to work with vulnerable adults.
Staff had opportunities for ongoing development and the manager ensured that they received supervision, yearly appraisal and training relevant to their job roles.
People who lived at the service were encouraged to live fulfilling lives and it was clear from our observations that staff had developed good relationships with people and understood individual needs. We saw kind and caring interactions and people were offered choices and had their dignity and privacy respected.
Good arrangements were in place to ensure people’s nutritional needs were met. Where risks had been identified there was input from the relevant healthcare professionals. People could not compliment the food enough.
People had their needs assessed and these were detailed within their care records, which were up to date and reflective of people’s current needs. People’s care records contained a good level of information and provided staff with the information they needed to effectively meet people’s physical and mental health needs.
People had opportunities to be involved in a range of activities, which were influenced by their hobbies, interests and lifestyle preferences. We noted that people who lived at the service were able and encouraged to maintain relationships with their friends and family and enabled to take risks.
People were provided with information about concerns and complaints. We found people’s concerns were responded to appropriately by the registered manager and there were systems in place to learn from complaints and incidents.
From the discussion we had with people who lived at the service, healthcare professionals, staff and other professionals, we found the home was a well-led service. There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We saw that the culture was one that takes account of people’s views and embraced continual improvement and development.
We spoke to staff and found that they were very knowledgeable about people's likes and dislikes and how they wished to be supported. We were able to see how people's skills and independence were promoted. We saw that staff were very caring and supportive of people.
Where people were highlighted as being at risk, for example, with diabetes, care plans had been developed. We found that care records contained up to date risk assessments and care plans. We found that care plans were reviewed regularly.
We found that the care records contained evidence to confirm that people had been involved with health professionals. People's health, safety and welfare were protected when more than one provider was involved in their care and treatment.
We found that there was enough staff on duty to meet the needs of people living in the home.
We saw evidence that the manager took steps to ensure the quality of the service was monitored. We saw that resident and staff meetings had taken place and that annual surveys were carried out.
We found that people were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because records were maintained.
Another person told us ;"We are happy here, it's nice, we are a happy crowd'. Three other people told us; 'We have monthly meetings here on Thursdays and we discuss things, we fill in questionnaires and have a suggestion box'. Another person told us; "I lead the monthly meetings, the staff are around if I need them to support me but I lead them '.
We saw that staff treated people with dignity and respect. We found that people were involved in decisions about their care.
There was a friendly and relaxed atmosphere between the people living at the Hollies and the staff. We observed staff interacting well with people and supporting them which had a positive impact on their wellbeing. People told us their views were taken into account in the assessment and care planning process.
We found the home had systems in place to ensure maintenance and improvements were carried out.
There were appropriate arrangements in place for the recruitment of staff.
We saw the home had a complaints procedure in place and this was accessible to people and their relatives
Another person said, "The staff have a lot of respect, there is a consultative attitude".
People told us that they were provided with the care and support they needed. They said, "I like the staff very much they work very hard".
People said they have a keyworker (a system where a named member of staff has particular responsibilities for individual people living at the home), one person said of their keyworker, "They talk to me when I need to talk, they have discussed my assessments and care plan with me".
They also said, "They notice when I am unwell, they recognise it and help me through it".
People spoke positively about the staff team and care and support that was provided to them. One person said, "I have a very good relationship with the staff, if you want to talk to them they are there". They mentioned one member of staff by name and said, "They are excellent, they have a good understanding of my condition and have made a positive impact on my wellbeing".
Another person said, "There is a good bunch of staff, they are more like a family".