Archived: Hollybrook House

Updated 7 October 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is 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 comprehensive inspection took place on 3 August 2017 and was unannounced. The inspection team included an adult social care inspector and an 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.

To help us to plan and identify areas to focus on in the inspection we considered all the information we held about the service, such as notifications from the home. We also asked the registered provider to complete a provider information return [PIR] which helped us to prepare for the inspection. This is a document that asks the registered provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make.

We requested the views of professionals who may have visited the home, such as service commissioners and one person’s social worker.

At the time of our inspection there were four people living at the home. We talked at length with two people who used the service who were present at the time of the visit. We also observed how staff supported people in the home.

We spoke with three members of staff, one of whom was relatively new. We spoke with the registered provider and the head of operations, the service manager, one team leader and the registered manager.

As part of the inspection visit we looked at a range of documentation relating to people who used the service and staff, as well as the management of the home. This included reviewing two people’s care records, including medication records, three staff recruitment files, training and support records, minutes of meetings, audits, policies and procedures.

Updated 7 October 2017

Hollybrook House is a care home without nursing. It provides care for up to six people with learning disabilities, or autistic spectrum disorders. The home is situated close to Doncaster town centre.

At the last inspection, in July 2015 the service was rated Good. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for ‘Hollybrook House’ on our website at ‘www.cqc.org.uk’.

This inspection took place on 3 August 2017 and was unannounced. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

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. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The people we spoke with told us they were very happy with the care and support that they were provided with at Hollybrook House and with the staff who supported them.

People’s care and support was planned and delivered in a way that made sure they were safe. The support plans we looked at included risk assessments, which identified any risk associated with people’s care.

Staff had a clear understanding of safeguarding adults and what action they would take if they suspected abuse.

There were enough staff with the right skills, knowledge and experience to meet people’s needs and the recruitment system was designed to ensure staff were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

An ongoing training and support programme ensured staff maintained and developed their knowledge and skills.

People’s needs were assessed and care and support was planned and delivered in line with their individual support plan. The support plans were person centred and some included photographs and pictures to assist the person to understand and be involved in their plan.

We found the service to be meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were involved in planning, shopping for, and preparing their own meals, with appropriate assistance from staff. This ensured that people were supported to maintain a balanced diet.

People were supported to maintain good health, have access to healthcare services and received ongoing healthcare support.

People were supported in a way that helped them to grow in confidence, maturity and skills. Staff understood people’s needs and effectively promoted people’s independence.

People had their own interests and hobbies and took part in the community. People were supported to maintain their family relationships and friendships.

Staff we spoke with felt the service was well led and the registered manager was approachable and listened to them. There was an open and transparent management of the service, with very comprehensive checks and audits to maintain the quality.

There was a complaints policy to guide people on how to raise concerns and this was available in an easy to read version to help people who used the service to understand and engage in the process.

Staff we spoke with felt the service was well led and the registered manager was approachable and listened to them. There were systems in place to enable people to share their opinion of the service.

The registered manager, registered providers and care team demonstrated a commitment to continually improve the service and use lessons learned to take the service forward. We also saw audits and checks were regularly undertaken to make sure company policies had been followed and the premises were safe and well maintained.