Hollie Hill Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

The service was well-led and has been rated good. Governance processes were in place however, the provider needed to improve direct communication with staff, people and relatives to build an open culture. Leadership at the service had not been consistent over the last 2 years, the manager was still new to the service. People and the staff team told us they felt supported by the regional managers. Staff and all visiting professionals said the new manager was accessible and listened to them. The provider needed to improve team work to ensure that staff and management work and learn together. Partners who worked with the service were positive in their feedback about the staff at Hollie Hill.

This service scored 68 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service was still dealing with considerable management change over the last 2 years. The current manager had only been in post for 3 months and was new to the provider’s organisation. We did get feedback that the manager was approachable and listened. Most staff told us that morale was improving. The regional management team had acknowledged that staff morale had been low and they had been providing additional management support to the home. Some staff raised that the established staff team could still be dominant. We fed this back to the provider highlighting that the service needed to improve direct communication with staff, people and relatives to build an open culture. Professionals we spoke with said they felt the service was improving. One social worker said, “The service has improved quite a lot. Manager turnover has been unsettling. [Name] the area manager is here regularly, and they are supporting the new manager [Name]. They are approachable and I am able to raise any concerns.”

A governance policy was in place which set out the manager’s responsibilities in terms of auditing arrangements, and the areas of concern we raised (such as agency staffing, food quality, culture, risk assessments and activities) were already known to the management team. The regional management team were a supportive presence as the new manager was integrating and becoming familiar with the service.

Feedback from the staff team was positive in relation to the manager’s role and accountability. They felt well supported by both the manager and regional managers. One staff member said, “I will go and see [Name] the manager and feel listened too.” Staff had attended training on understanding their role and worked together to meet people’s needs.

The manager had an open-door policy and was working to support the staff team and enable better teamwork. Systems were in place to check staff practices embodied the organisation’s culture and values. The provider was providing support via regional and quality managers to enable the new manager to lead effectively. One social worker who was based at the service to support the intermediate care beds told us, “It’s a lovely atmosphere here, the staff are always approachable.”

Staff told us they felt confident to raise concerns with the provider and the manager and these would be listened to and acted upon.

The manager had an open-door policy and staff, people, relatives and visiting professionals all confirmed this to us. The provider had policies and systems in place, which aimed to foster a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and that their voice would be heard.

Most staff told us they felt valued. One staff member told us, “It has got 100% better. Don’t get me wrong staffing is still an issue but the morale is definitely better than it was and we do have better core staffing now than a couple of months ago.” However, we did receive some negative comments which we discussed with the management team who told us they were planning some staff meetings to look at communication around areas for improvement.

The provider had ensured equality, diversity and inclusion policies were in place and these were followed. The regional management team told us they were investing in staff development, which would provide a progressive and expert workforce. Most staff told us they felt valued.

Leaders at the home such as nurses and senior care staff were clear in their roles and led by example. They told us that they were able to speak with management about concerns. The manager also recognised there was work to undertake and told us, “I am very people focused so I have tried to build relationships. There has been a high turnover of managers so I have to build trust and show actions. We have had challenges but I am resilient.”

Whilst the service had clear governance and quality assurance processes, due to the turnover of leadership at the service, this had not always been consistently applied. The positive support from the provider’s regional management team was welcomed and the service was focused on improving the morale and staffing consistency at the home. The service needed to ensure that strong and sustained leadership was embedded and that the whole staff team worked towards improved morale and shared values.

People we spoke with said their friends and family were always welcomed at the service and were made to feel part of the home’s community.

Staff were positive about the way the service worked with fellow professionals, and we observed good working relationships that were mutually respectful.

All visiting professionals we spoke with said the staff team worked with them in a positive way. One mental health liaison nurse told us, “Staff are very open to us visiting, there is never any obstruction. Staff are really engaged.” A visiting nurse practitioner told us, “The manager is very approachable she will come and ask me things. She is happy to learn and she will pop and see me.”

Systems and processes were in place to enable the service to develop good links with the local community and work in partnership with other agencies to improve people's opportunities and wellbeing.

Staff we spoke with told us they undertook training, although some felt online learning could be spread out instead of in one block. Staff all said they felt their training was adequate to their job roles.

We saw the service learnt from events and shared communication to constantly improve practice.