This unannounced inspection took place on 1 March 2017 and 21 March 2017.

HFT Trust Hollycroft provides accommodation and personal care for up to eight people with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection, there were seven people being supported by the service.

The service has a registered manager in place. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

There were risk assessments in place that gave guidance to staff on how risks to people could be minimised and how to safeguard people from the risk of possible harm.

The provider had effective recruitment processes in place and there were sufficient staff to support people safely. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and would seek people’s consent before they provided any care or support. Staff received supervision and support, and had been trained to meet people’s individual needs.

People were supported by caring and respectful staff who knew them well. Relatives we spoke with had described the staff as kind and caring. People were supported to go into the community and pursue their interests.

People had been assessed, and care plans took account of their individual needs, preferences, and choices. Staff supported people to access health and social care services when required.

The provider had a formal process for handling complaints and concerns. They encouraged feedback from people and acted on the comments received to continually improve the quality of the service. The provider also had effective quality monitoring processes in place to ensure that they were meeting the required standards of care.

The Inspector gathered evidence to help answer our five key questions; Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service caring, Is the service responsive? Is the service well led?

Below is a summary of what we found based on the evidence gathered during our inspection carried out on 15 April 2014. This included speaking with people who used the service and members of staff who supported them and by looking at records. The detailed evidence that supports our findings can be read in the full report.

Is the service safe?

People were provided with care and support in a way that promoted their dignity and independence. One person who lived at the home told us, “They [staff] help me learn and do things for myself. They help me do things I want to do. They helped me to use the bus. Once I got on the wrong one and went round and round for two hours. My phone was off so they [staff] couldn’t ring and help me. I learnt a lesson from that and keep my phone on now.”

We saw that staff treated people with respect and kindness while delivering appropriate levels of care and support that met their individual needs and welfare requirements.

We found that appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene had not been maintained in all areas of the home. We saw that carpets in some areas and toilet bowls located in bathrooms and toilets on the first floor were poorly maintained and had not been cleaned properly. This meant that people had not been protected against the risks associated with health care related infection.

We checked records which showed that effective recruitment policies and procedures were in place to ensure that staff employed at the home were of good character and appropriately skilled to meet people’s needs. This included carrying out appropriate checks before staff began work.

Is the service effective?

People’s health and care needs had been discussed with them and they were involved in the planning and delivery of the care and support they received.

Everybody we spoke with told us they were happy living at the home and with the levels of care and support provided. One person said, “I like living here. They [staff] are really nice. They help me go to the dentist and doctor if I need them. They are good. They take me shopping and help me with house jobs and cooking. They help me with the oven.”

Is the service caring?

We saw that staff treated people who lived at the home with respect and dignity. People were provided with appropriate levels of information and support to help them express their views and make decisions about the care they received.

We looked at care records and support plans which showed that people’s needs and preferences had been assessed, documented and reviewed. They were personalised and gave staff clear guidance about the care and support people needed.

Is the service responsive?

We looked at care records which showed that people’s views and preferences had been taken into account in the planning and delivery of the care and support they received. One person who lived at the home said, “I can do what I want. I can use the computer or do stuff in my room or go out.”

We saw that people had been supported to access a wide range of facilities and activities appropriate to their needs in the local community. These included enrolment on college courses and regular visits to leisure, resource and activity centres where they were encouraged and supported to take part in activities of their choice. This meant that care and support had been planned and delivered in a way that took account of people’s individual needs and personal circumstances.

The provider had a complaints and compliments policy and procedure in place. We saw that people who lived at the home had been provided with guidance about how to make a complaint. The information provided was in an ‘easy read’ format with words, symbols and pictures appropriate to their communication needs. People told us they knew how to make a complaint if the need arose.

Is the service well led?

Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. They were knowledgeable about the care and support needs of people who lived at the home.

We saw that people had been supported to access other health care facilities in their local community wher necessary and appropriate. This included supporting people to make appointments with and to attend GP's, dentists and chiropodists.

We found that the provider had put systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of services provided and to identify, assess and manage risks posed to the health, welfare and safety of people who lived at the home.

During our inspection on 22 October 2013, the four people we spoke with were happy with the support they received from staff. They all told us they took part in a variety of activities. One person said, "I like making cakes at the resource centre and doing housework in the home."

We found people's needs had been assessed and appropriate support plans and risk assessments were in place. We found people's support plans were reviewed regularly and when people's needs changed. Where necessary, they were appropriately referred to other health and social care professionals.

People's nutritional needs were met and their choices were respected. The provider had effective medicines management systems in place. The provider had effective staff support and training processes.

However, we found some areas of the home were not sufficiently clean to protect people who used the service from the risks associated with the spread of infection.

During our inspection of HF Trust – Hollycroft we saw that people were happy in their home and that they were relaxed and comfortable with the staff. One person told us, “I’m happy here”, and another said, “I like the whole house. I love it here.” A third person said, “I can’t think of anything I don’t like here, and I don’t want to move on.”

Records showed that people, or their representatives, had been as involved as they wanted to be, or were able to be, in making decisions about how they lived their lives, and about how the home was run. Care records showed evidence that people had been involved in making decisions. However there was insufficient evidence that people’s decision making capacity had been formally assessed as required by the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Care and support plans showed that the person was at the centre of their care and support. The plans gave staff detailed guidance on the ways in which each person preferred to be supported. Assessments of any risks to people were carried out so that people were supported to be independent but kept as safe as possible. Each person’s healthcare needs were met.

The premises were maintained well and records showed that safety, in particular fire safety, was closely monitored.

The provider had a complaints procedure in place. People told us they would be happy speaking with staff or the manager if they wanted to complain, but two people we spoke with told us they had never needed to.

People that we spoke with during our visit to Hollycroft on 10 February 2012 told us that they were happy and felt safe living there. They told us that the staff that looked after them were helpful and friendly and treated them with kindness and respect.

People looked clean and well groomed, and where people needed support or assistance with personal care this was done in private to protect their dignity.

We observed that people were given choices and encouraged to make decisions about all aspects of their lives, including how they spent their time and what they had to eat.

Everyone at Hollycroft had the opportunity to attend day centres or college courses. If people preferred not to do this, their decision was respected, and alternative activities were available to them.

The inspection took place on 31 December 2014 and 7 January 2015 and was unannounced.

The home provides personal care and support for up to eight people with learning disabilities and at the time of the inspection, there were seven people living at the home, although three people were away from the home visiting their relatives.

At our previous inspection in April 2014 we found that appropriate standards of cleanliness had not been maintained in some areas of the home. During this inspection we found that the provider had made the required improvements and all areas of the home were clean.

The service had been without a registered manager since October 2014. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The home was being managed by an experienced, interim manager while the provider was in the process of re-structuring their management positions.

People were safe and were able to raise any concerns they had with the staff or the manager. There were effective processes in place to protect people and accidents and incidents were managed well to enable preventative action to be taken. People’s medicines were managed appropriately.

There were sufficient, skilled staff to support people at all times and there were robust recruitment processes in place.

Staff were well trained and used their training effectively to support people. The staff understood and complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

People were supported to eat well and were encouraged to choose healthier food options to maintain their health and well-being.

Staff were caring and respected people’s privacy and dignity. People had access to advocacy and befriender services.

People were aware of the provider’s complaints system and information about this was available in easy read format.

The manager was approachable. Staff knew and understood the provider’s vision and values which were embedded into everything they did to support people. Staff were supported by the manager, were aware of their roles and responsibilities and accepted accountability for their actions.

The provider had introduced a self-assessment programme to review the quality of care provided at the home and this was regularly checked by the provider’s Regional Manager.