21 June 2023
During a routine inspection
Hollin Bank House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 14 older people and those living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 7 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Medicines were not always managed safely. Records relating to safe medicines management were at times inaccurate or missing.
Quality monitoring and audits at the service were not effective or robust. These systems had not identified shortfalls in management of medicines or ensured areas of the home were safe.
People were not always able to express their views on the service they received, as not everyone had received feedback forms and resident meetings were not taking place. We made a recommendation about this.
The environment contained limited dementia friendly aids to help people orientate around the service, and some areas were unsafe for people to use. We made a recommendation about this. Staff received a mixture of mandatory training and service user specific training, but this did not cover all the required areas. We made a recommendation about this.
People were not always offered choices at the service, and we received mixed feedback on this in the areas of nutrition and personal care. People were not always involved in contributing to or reviewing their care and support plans. We made a recommendation about this. People were supported to maintain relationships which were important to them and were involved in a range of activities. People’s communication needs were met and there was a process for managing complaints and concerns.
Risks to people and the environment had been assessed and there were enough staff to support people. Recruitment practices were robust, and people and relatives spoke positively about the staff approach. There were systems and processes in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse.
People spoke positively about the quality and quantity of food and fluids they received and were supported to eat and drink enough. People’s rights were respected, and the service was working in accordance with the mental capacity act . People were supported by staff who treated them with respect and promoted dignity, privacy and independence. People and their relatives praised the staff approach to providing care and support. Staff understood the need to encourage people to be independent and people we spoke to confirmed this. We observed interactions between people and their care staff which were professional, friendly and considerate.
People and staff spoke positively about the management team and the registered manager was committed to making improvements to the service through partnership working.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 10 February 2020).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
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.
You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We have identified breaches in relation to management of medicines and good governance at this inspection. We have made recommendations in relation to staff training, dementia friendly aids, obtaining service user feedback and care planning. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.