Housing 21 - Holm Court

This comprehensive inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service, including the length of time since the last rating. The last inspection report for this service was published 1 November 2017, and the service was rated good. At this inspection, the rating had changed to outstanding.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic. We found people consistently received care and support in accordance with the principles of this guidance.

There was a strong emphasis on providing people with an extremely caring service where their privacy, independence, choice and dignity were promoted and met. Staff treated people with kindness and compassion which had a positive impact on people’s wellbeing. Staff were very knowledgeable about people and were committed to ensure their individual and diverse needs and preferences were met, which led to positive outcomes. Staff continuously sought and acted on people’s choices regarding their care, and these choices were valued. The provider supported staff wellbeing extremely well, which demonstrated they were valued. As a result, staff worked well as a team to ensure people’s needs were met in a caring and compassionate way.

The management and staff were passionate and committed to providing people with person centred care and ensuring people had an excellent quality of life. There were numerous ways people could provide feedback about their care, and their comments were always valued and used to drive continuous improvement.

Leaders and staff had a shared vision and culture based on listening, learning and trust. Leaders were visible, knowledgeable and extremely supportive, helping staff develop in their roles. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing excellent quality care. Managers worked with the local community to deliver the best possible care and were receptive to new ideas. There was a culture of continuous improvement.

The provider had a learning culture and people could raise concerns. Managers investigated incidents and measures put in place to reduce them happening again. Systems were in place to reduce risks of abuse and avoidable harm. Staffing levels were kept under review and staff received training relevant to their role. There were enough care workers to provide the planned care visits to people. Where people required support with their medicines this was provided safely.

People were involved in assessments of their needs, and these were used to inform care plans, which were kept under review. Staff worked with agencies involved in people’s care for the best outcomes and smooth transitions when moving services. Staff supported people, where required, to support healthy living. Where people required support with their nutrition and hydration, this was provided. Staff made sure people understood their care and treatment to enable them to give informed consent.