Archived: The Holt

Updated 20 February 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector and a Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

The Holt is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection:

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service and the service provider. The registered provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at the notifications we had received for this service. Notifications are information about important events the service is required to send us by law. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection we observed how staff interacted with people. We spoke with five relatives and one healthcare professional to gather their views. We looked at records, which included five people's care and medicines records. We checked recruitment records for three staff. We looked at a range of records about how the service was managed. We also spoke with the provider, the registered manager, the senior care coordinator and three staff.

Updated 20 February 2020

About the service

The Holt is a care home providing care and support for people who are living with autism. At the time of our inspection 6 people were using the service.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People's experience of using this service and what we found

There was a welcoming environment. We saw many positive interactions between staff and people. Relatives we spoke with told us they were confident that people were safe living at the service.

People had significant communication needs. People used body language, gestures, sounds or pictures to communicate, some people could use a few key words to communicate their needs. Staff knew and met people's individual communication needs well.

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.

Medicines were managed safely by suitably trained staff. There were effective systems in place to protect people from harm and staff understood their responsibilities to report any concerns. There were sufficient numbers of staff to respond promptly to people’s support needs. Recruitment processes enabled the provider to make safe recruitment decisions.

Staff felt supported and received training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and had a choice of different meals. Where special dietary requirements were needed staff followed recommendations made by healthcare professionals.

There were a range of individualised activities available to people. Care plans contained information that enabled staff to meet people’s needs and value people as individuals. People were confident to raise concerns. All complaints were dealt with in line with the provider’s policy.

The management team and provider promoted an open culture that valued everyone. Staff felt valued and were positive about the improvements that had been made at the service. There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the service.

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 28 June 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.