The Hollies Residential Home

This report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) details an inspection of The Hollies Residential Home. The inspection aimed to assess the quality and safety of care provided, focusing on key areas such as how safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led the service is. It follows up on previous concerns and examines improvements made since the last assessment. The findings provide an overview of the home's performance, highlighting specific practices and areas where residents and their families can expect certain standards of care and support, as well as noting areas identified for further development.

In terms of safety, while improvements have been made to building-related risks and fire safety measures, concerns remain regarding the consistent management of risks associated with skin integrity and constipation. Additionally, there were instances where medicines were not administered precisely as prescribed, and medicated patches were not always rotated effectively, posing a risk of skin irritation, although no harm was evidenced.

Regarding effectiveness, the service has made significant improvements since the last inspection. Assessments of residents' needs are now comprehensive, informing the development of care plans and ensuring appropriate staffing levels and skills are allocated. The quality of care and support provided, including end-of-life care, is consistently good, leading to positive outcomes for residents.

On the caring aspect, residents and their relatives consistently provided positive feedback, describing the staff as kind, friendly, and caring. People are treated with dignity and respect, and their preferences for receiving care are listened to and acted upon. The service actively supports residents in making choices about their lives in the least restrictive way possible.

In terms of how responsive the service is, residents have access to a variety of activities they enjoy participating in. When medical attention is needed, it is quickly identified, and appropriate referrals, such as to dieticians for weight loss, are promptly made, ensuring residents' health needs are met effectively.

Concerning the well-led aspect of the service, while management oversight has improved with systems in place for auditing care and health and safety risks, further improvements are needed. Specifically, the electronic care planning system requires enhancements to provide better oversight of repositioning, constipation, medicines, and fluid intake for residents. However, the home is well-staffed and staff are recruited safely and well-supported by management.