This inspection took place on 13 and 21 December 2016. The home was previously inspected in September 2015, and at the time was meeting all regulations assessed during the inspection, but was overall rated requires improvement.

Holly House is a care home providing accommodation for 12 younger adults. It is situated on the edge of Parkgate, an area of Rotherham. It stands in its own grounds and has off road parking. It provides accommodation on both the ground and first floor and has accessible gardens which surround the building.

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.

People who used the service who we spoke with, told us they were happy with how care and support was provided at the home. They spoke positively about the staff and the way the home was managed.

We saw there were systems in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about safeguarding people and were able to explain the procedures to follow should an allegation of abuse be made. Assessments identified risks to people, and management plans to reduce the risks were in place to ensure people’s safety.

We found the service to be meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The staff we spoke with had a satisfactory understanding and knowledge of this, and people who used the service had been assessed to determine if a DoLS application was required.

People were involved in menu planning, shopping and meal preparation. We saw snacks were available throughout the day and people had access to the kitchen and were able to access drinks and food when they wanted.

Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and spoke to people with understanding, warmth and respect.

There was a recruitment system in place that helped the employer make safer recruitment decisions when employing new staff. Staff had received a structured induction into how the home operated, and their job role, at the beginning of their employment. They had access to a varied training programme that met the needs of the people using the service.

There was a system in place to tell people how to make a complaint and how it would be managed. We saw the complaints policy was easily available to people using and visiting the service.

There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. The registered manager was introducing more robust systems at the time of our inspection and these needed to be fully implemented and embedded into practice.

We spoke with three people who used the service, they told us they were very happy living at the home. One person said, “It’s great here, I can keep my independence.” Another person said, “I like to go to the gym and keeping fit.”

People who used the service understood the care and treatment choices available to them. They were encouraged to express their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. One person said, "I was involved in writing my care plan, I am happy with it. I am able to make decisions about keeping my independence."

Throughout our visit, we saw that staff treated people with dignity and kindness. We observed that a friendly and positive approach was used, to ensure that the wishes and needs of people using the service were respected.

People were cared for in a clean, hygienic environment. However improvements were needed to ensuite facilities.

The people who lived in the home were kept safe because the provider had taken steps to maintain the building and we saw that regular health and safety checks had been carried out.

People received care and treatment from suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.

People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because their records had been reviewed and updated regularly.

We spoke with four people who used the service. They told us about their activities and experiences of living at Holly House. One person told us about being involved at ‘Speak up’ while three others told us they like to go to a day centre.

People were encouraged to make choices about their care and treatment. People told us they were involved in making decisions about holidays. One person told us they were saving up to go back to Spain for their holiday, while another person said they preferred holidays in England.

People told us they felt safe and would tell staff if they were worried about anything. They said they knew how to tell staff about concerns they had.

Throughout our visit, we saw that staff treated people with dignity and kindness. We observed that a friendly and positive approach was used, to ensure that the wishes and needs of people using the service were respected.

We found people were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Staff were able to describe different methods of communicating with people to ensure their wishes and beliefs were respected.

We found medication was administered safely to people. People were given appropriate support, to ensure they had taken their medication as prescribed.

People told us they were happy at Holly House and they were involved in the planning of the care. One person told us they had sat down with a member of staff and completed their person centred plan. The plan included their hopes and dreams, and pictures and friends and their interests.

People told us they liked living at Holly House and they felt that they were involved in activities that keep them involved in the community.

People told us they were respected and encouraged to be as independent as possible, while remaining safe and protected from harm.

People felt they were able to make decisions about their care and staff supported them when needed.

The inspection was unannounced, and the inspection visit was carried out over two days; 9 September 2015 and 15 September 2015. The home was previously inspected in November 2014, where multiple breaches of regulations were identified. In response to this, we took enforcement action.

Holly House Residential Home is a 12 bed care home, providing care to adults with learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection there were ten people living at the home. The home’s deputy manager told us that it was unlikely the other two bed spaces would ever be used as they were beds in twin occupancy rooms, which the home used as single occupancy instead. They told us that these rooms would, however, give them flexibility should they ever admit partners or relatives who wished to share a room.

Holly House is located in the Parkgate suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire. It is in its own grounds in a quiet and secluded area.

The service has a registered manager. 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.

During both days of the inspection people told us that they were very happy with their experience of life at Holly House. Staff we spoke with and observed understood people’s needs and preferences well. Staff promoted choice in their interactions with people, and we observed staff emphasised a positive environment within the home and respected people’s rights to privacy and dignity.

The provider had taken appropriate steps to ensure that people’s mental capacity was assessed and that care was provided in accordance with people’s consent. However, we found improvements could be made to ensure judgements about people’s capacity were taken at the correct level.

The provider had effective systems in place to ensure people’s safety. This included staff’s training and knowledge about safeguarding, and up to date and thorough risk assessments. Medicines were handled safely and were well managed.

There was an effective and improved audit system in place, which monitored the quality of care provided and the safe running of the service. This system was relatively new, so it was not yet clear whether it was contributing to long term improvements in the home.