The inspection took place on 27 January 2017 and was unannounced, which meant the provider did not know we were coming. We last inspected the service in October 2015 and although we identified no breaches of regulation, we found some areas required improvements. The overall rating was requires improvement.The Hollies provides personal care and accommodation for up to 29 older people. The service is a converted older property with accommodation on three levels accessed by a lift. It is situated in Wakefield. At the time of the inspection the home was providing care for 25 people, some of whom had a diagnosis of dementia.
The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.
People told us they felt the home was a safe place to live. Systems were in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were knowledgeable about safeguarding people from abuse, and were able to explain the procedures to follow should there be any concerns of this kind.
Recruitment processes were thorough so helped the employer make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff. At the time of our inspection we found there was adequate staff on duty to meet people’s care needs in a timely manner. Although staff told us that on occasions at night it could be busy.
The registered manager told us they did not have or use a staffing dependency tool. This would determine people’s level of needs and care hours required to ensure there were adequate staff on duty at all times. We were told dependency was discussed with staff to determine staffing levels.
Systems were in place to protect people by the prevention and control of infection. However, we identified these had not always been followed.
Care plans reflected people’s needs and had been reviewed and updated to reflect people’s changing needs
Medicines were stored safely and procedures were in place to ensure they were administered correctly.
The manager was aware of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). There were policies and procedures in place and key staff had been trained. This helped to make sure people were safeguarded from excessive or unnecessary restrictions being place on them.
People were treated with respect, kindness and understanding. Staff demonstrated a good awareness of how they respected people’s preferences and ensured their privacy and dignity was maintained. We saw staff took account of people’s individual needs and preferences while supporting them. People had access to activities and stimulation.
People were supported appropriately to eat and drink sufficient to maintain a balanced diet and adequate hydration.
There was a system in place to tell people how to raise concerns and how these would be managed. People told us they would feel comfortable raising any concerns with the management team.
People we spoke with told us the management team were approachable, always ready to listen and acted promptly to address any concerns.
There were systems in place to assess if the home was operating correctly and people were satisfied with the service provided. This included meetings and regular audits. Action plans had been put in place to address any areas that needed improving. The areas we had identified that required improvement had been identified and were being addressed.