Heather Holmes: Where people are at the heart

“There was a culture of people being at the heart of the service. Everyone valued and promoted people’s individuality, protected their rights and enabled them to develop and flourish.”

A place where people are at the heart and supported to flourish – Heather Holmes has been rated ‘Good’ in their latest CQC inspection – a testament to the team’s dedication to putting people at the heart of everything they do. Through their commitment to helping individuals build self-confidence, develop new skills and access opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach, the team has created an environment where people are truly supported to flourish.

A huge congratulations to Service Manager Lisa and the entire Heather Holmes team for this well-deserved recognition!

Comments from those working at Heather Holmes included:

• ‘‘The staff respect me and I can get on and do whatever I like.’’
• ‘‘I feel as though I am in a safe place here. I practice being safe with the staff, like doing a fire drill or talking about going out and about by myself.’’

Comments from the relatives included:

• ‘‘My relative is always happy to return after a day out. They have worked hard to get around any problems there were”
• “My relative is massively safe. They have a responsibility for my relative and do everything in my relatives’ best interests.” 
• “I don’t know what they could do to make things better because they do a marvellous job.”
•  “My relative is an integral part of this community”. 

Highlighting some of our stand-out comments, have a read of the wonderful report below;

Safe

• The service was safe and welcoming. 
• The staff team demonstrated a commitment to ensuring people were supported to achieve good outcomes.
• Staff had good knowledge of which health and social care professionals supported which people. Staff were able to explain when these professionals visited, and what type of support they offered. Staff knew how to monitor people’s health conditions, to ensure timely referrals were made to other services. 
• We observed people to be relaxed, safe and comfortable in their home environment. If possible, they told us they liked living at Heather Holmes and “the staff are very nice”. 

Effective

• We observed staff supporting people safely and ensuring consent was received before any support took place.
• People were seen to be comfortable and relaxed when having their needs attended to.
• We saw that staff knew people’s needs and preferences well and that relatives had been involved in care planning and assessment. 

Caring

• Staff were kind, caring and polite. People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff responded to their immediate needs and were attentive. 
• Staff communicated well with people and promoted an inclusive, supportive environment.
• People told us they “enjoyed doing things here”. Relatives told us people were supported to make choices and staff respected these. 
• Staff we spoke with could tell us about those they supported and what was important to them. 

Responsive

• People received person-centred care which met their needs. The provider listened to and involved people in making decisions about their care and the service.
• People were heard to be saying how much they were looking forward to their day and the things they enjoyed doing the most. 
• We read feedback from a relative who said, “The service has always looked after my sister made her feel part of a family and very inclusive despite my sisters’ disabilities”.
• Staff were patient and kind with people and promoted an inclusive, supportive environment that encouraged people to achieve goals.

Well-Led

• There was a positive and inclusive culture. People using the service and staff were valued and able to contribute to organisational developments.
• Staff told us they were able to speak up and that the service was well managed. 
• The manager and deputy manager had led the staff team to understand people and identify where people could be supported to achieve their goals or try new things. This had a positive impact for people.
• Staff told us they felt confident raising any concerns and that action would be taken by the management team. 
• Staff said they worked together as a team, morale is good, and they had opportunities to progress their career.

Well done to everyone at Heather Holmes for empowering the people you support to live their best lives.