Archived: Hollybank House

Updated 5 February 2019

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

This inspection took place on 9 and 10 January 2019 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours notice as it is a small service and people go out regularly. We wanted to make sure that people would be available at the home for us to speak with them. The inspection was carried out by an adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service, including previous inspection reports and notifications we had received from the service. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. We contacted two community health and social care professionals who were involved with the service for their comments. We also contacted Lancashire County Council contracts team and Healthwatch Lancashire for feedback about the service.

During the inspection we spoke with four people who lived at the service. One person was not able to speak with us due to their complex needs. We also spoke with three support workers and the deputy manager. The provider was not available during our inspection. Following the inspection we received telephone feedback from two relatives and an independent advocate [representative] who had supported two people living at the home.

During the inspection we reviewed the care records of two people who lived at the home. In addition, we looked at service records including staff recruitment, supervision and training records, policies and procedures, complaints and compliments records, audits of quality and safety, fire safety and environmental health records.

Updated 5 February 2019

We carried out an announced inspection of Hollybank House on 9 and 10 January 2019.

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

Hollybank House provides accommodation and personal care for up to five adults with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. Nursing care is not provided. At the time of our inspection five people were living at the home.

At the last inspection in July 2016, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The registered provider of the service was also the manager and was responsible for the day to day operation of the service. There was no regulatory requirement to have registered manager in post. Registered providers are ‘registered persons’ and have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Records showed that staff had been recruited safely. The staff we spoke with were aware of how to safeguard people from abuse. There were safe processes in place for the management of people’s medicines.

People’s relatives/representatives and staff told us they were happy with staffing levels at the home and people received support from staff when they needed it.

People told us they liked the staff who supported them. Relatives/representatives told us that staff were kind and respectful. They told us staff respected people’s right to privacy and dignity and encouraged them to be independent. We observed this during the inspection.

Records showed that staff received an effective induction and appropriate training which was updated regularly. People’s relatives/representatives felt that staff had the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs.

People received appropriate support with eating, drinking and their healthcare needs. Appropriate referrals were made to community health and social care professionals, to ensure that people’s needs were met.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way; the policies and systems at the service supported this practice.

People were treated as individuals and received care that reflected their personalities, needs, risks and what was important to them.

Staff communicated effectively with people. They supported people sensitively and provided explanations when needed to ensure that people understood what was being discussed.

People were supported to take part in a variety of activities both inside and outside the home. Some people attended activities and clubs outside the home as part of their regular routines and told us they enjoyed this. This provided people with the opportunity to develop new skills and socialise.

Relatives/representatives and staff were happy with how the service was being managed. They found the staff, deputy manager and provider approachable. No-one we spoke with had made a complaint.

A variety of checks of quality and safety were regularly completed by the provider and the deputy manager. We found the audits completed were effective in ensuring that appropriate levels of quality and safety were maintained at the service.

The provider regularly sought feedback from people living at the home and their relatives through meetings and satisfaction surveys. A high level of satisfaction had been expressed by people living at the home, about all aspects of the care and support provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.