CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Holicote
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found individual risk assessments, enough staff, safe medicines management, safeguarding training and robust recruitment checks.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's health, nutrition and hydration needs were met. Staff had suitable training, and the home worked with healthcare professionals when needed.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. People were supported to make choices, maintain relationships and build independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Support was individual to people's needs, and people were helped to join activities and use local community services. However, some care plans needed more information about positive behaviour support.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had a registered manager, clear communication systems and effective audits. Managers used people's views to make improvements.
What inspectors found, September 2019
Holicote was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and person-centred care, but some care plans needed more detail.
This was an unannounced inspection on 11 September 2019. One inspector spoke with one person using the home, two relatives, managers and care staff. The inspector also reviewed care records, medicines records, audits and other documents.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines practices, suitable training, clean surroundings and support that promoted choice, independence and community involvement.
The main shortfall was that some care plans did not include positive behaviour support plans for people who needed help communicating anxiety. The CQC made a recommendation for these plans to be improved. The previous overall rating was also Good, published on 7 March 2017.
Safe staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe. Staff were visible during the inspection.
“There were enough staff on duty to meet people's individual needs and maintain their safety. Staff were always present.” from the report
Medicines
Medicines were administered as prescribed and the records checked by inspectors were complete and clear.
“Medicine administration records were clear and completed fully.” from the report
Respect and independence
People were treated with dignity and supported to make choices, learn skills and become more independent.
“People were actively supported to achieve increased independence.” from the report
Community and relationships
People were supported to maintain relationships and take part in social activities and local community events.
“People were supported to follow interests and to take part in activities that were socially and culturally relevant to them including active social club memberships and local community events.” from the report
Clean environment
The home was clean, tidy and personalised to people's preferences.
“The premises were very clean and tidy with no odours.” from the report
Care plan detail
needs fixingSome people who needed support with communicating anxiety did not have positive behaviour support plans. The CQC recommended adding more information to make care plans more person-centred.
“We recommended that the provider follow best practice for more person-centred care plans by including more information regarding positive behaviour support plans.” from the report
- 01What positive behaviour support information is now included in care plans for people who communicate anxiety?
- 02How will you make sure care plans are updated when a person's needs or preferences change?
- 03How many people usually stay at the home during respite periods, and how does staffing change when occupancy is higher?
- 04How will you support my relative to maintain relationships, attend activities and use local community services?
- 05How will you involve my relative and our family in decisions about care and any future changes?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, including the premises and care provided; one person was using the home at the time. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 September 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, March 2017
Holicote rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised respite care with strong management oversight.
This was an announced inspection on 31 January and 3 February 2017. One inspector spoke with people using the service, family members, managers and care staff. The inspector also reviewed care records, staff files, medicines records, audits and other documents.
The home provides short respite stays for adults with learning disabilities. Some people also have physical disabilities. Inspectors found safe staffing, suitable medicines arrangements, trained staff and regularly reviewed risk assessments.
People appeared happy and comfortable. Staff were caring and respectful, and care plans reflected people's needs, preferences and routines. The home supported activities, community visits, health appointments and gradual transitions into respite care.
The overall rating was Good, with Good ratings in all five areas. This means the service met the fundamental standards inspected against. It remained Good since the previous inspection in August 2015.
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors saw a warm atmosphere and caring interactions. People appeared relaxed and comfortable with staff.
“We saw people being treated with dignity and respect and relatives and people told us that staff were kind and professional.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included individual needs, family information, routines and preferences. Staff showed they knew the people they supported well.
“The care plans were written in an individual way, which included family information and how people wanted their care to be given.” from the report
Safe medicines and staffing
Staffing was arranged around the times people needed support, with cover from permanent and bank staff. Medicines were stored securely and staff were trained to administer them.
“Appropriate systems were in place for the management of medicines so that people received their medicines safely.” from the report
Good settling-in and activities
The home used tea visits and overnight stays to help people move into respite care at their own pace. People were supported with activities and visits into the community.
“The service focused on ensuring people had transitions that were smooth and positive.” from the report
Strong oversight
The home used audits, meetings, feedback and incident reviews to check quality and safety. Staff and families said managers were approachable and supportive.
“The service had a comprehensive range of audits in place to check the quality and safety of the service and equipment at Holicote” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you assess my relative's needs before their first respite stay, and what tea visits or overnight visits would you offer?
- 02How would you support my relative's communication needs, choices and routines during a short stay?
- 03What training do staff have for my relative's specific health, dietary or PEG-related needs?
- 04How would you contact our family if my relative became unwell or their needs changed during a stay?
- 05How do you review risk assessments and medicines arrangements between respite stays?
This was an announced inspection covering the overall service and all five CQC questions; the report says the service remained Good since the previous inspection in August 2015. This explanation was written from the published report of 7 March 2017 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Holicote
4 rated inspections over 5 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- September 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2015Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: Inspected but not ratedCaring: Inspected but not ratedResponsive: Inspected but not ratedWell-led: Good
- February 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2011
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 30 December 2010.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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36 live-in carers within about an hour of Darlington
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £970 to £1,230 a week. 35 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.