The Hollies – Care Home

What families say

Based on 7 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth55
• Compassion & dignity55
• Cleanliness55
• Activities & engagement50
• Food quality50
• Healthcare55
• Management & leadership40
• Resident happiness55

What inspectors found

Inspected 2023-07-29 · Report published 2023-07-29 · Inspected 5 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the July 2023 inspection. This means inspectors found that the home broadly met the required standards for keeping people safe, including areas such as medicines management, infection control, and staffing. However, the published inspection text does not include specific observations, numbers, or examples from this domain. It is not possible to confirm from the published findings whether, for example, falls are logged and reviewed, how night staffing is arranged, or how much the home relies on agency staff.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good rating for Safety is reassuring as a baseline, but the rating alone does not tell you what the home looks like at 2am when your parent might need help. Good Practice research from the Leeds Beckett evidence review consistently identifies night staffing as the point where safety most often slips in residential care. For a 48-bed home with a dementia specialism, the question of how many permanent staff are on overnight is one of the most important you can ask. Our family review data shows that feeling confident a parent is safe at night is one of the most frequently raised concerns, even in homes with overall Good ratings.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency staff reliance is a significant risk factor for continuity of safe care, particularly for people with dementia who rely on familiar faces and consistent routines to remain settled.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from the past two weeks, not a template. Count how many permanent staff names appear on night shifts versus agency workers, and ask what the minimum staffing level is overnight for 48 residents."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Good at the July 2023 inspection. This domain covers whether staff have the right training and knowledge, whether care plans are kept up to date and personalised, whether people have access to healthcare professionals such as GPs and dietitians, and whether food is nutritious and meets individual needs. The published inspection text does not include specific detail about any of these areas for The Hollies. No examples of care plan content, training records, or healthcare access are described.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effectiveness in a dementia care home means more than ticking training boxes. The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that dementia-specific training needs to go beyond basic awareness to include approaches such as understanding non-verbal communication and using structured daily routines to reduce distress. For your parent, what matters in practice is whether the person writing their care plan has spent time finding out who they are, not just what they need physically. Food quality is also a meaningful indicator: 20.9% of positive family reviews in our dataset specifically mention mealtimes as a highlight, and the experience of being unhurried and offered real choice is often the detail families remember most.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that care plans function as living documents only when staff are supported to update them regularly and when families are actively included in the review process, rather than simply informed after decisions are made.","watch_out":"Ask the manager how often your parent's care plan would be reviewed, and whether you would be invited to take part in those reviews. Then ask what dementia-specific training staff have completed in the past 12 months and whether it covered communication approaches rather than just safety procedures."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the July 2023 inspection. This domain reflects whether staff treat people with kindness, dignity, and respect, whether people are supported to maintain their independence, and whether privacy is protected. A Good rating here means inspectors were satisfied that the required standards were met. The published text does not record specific observations of staff interactions, resident testimony about how they feel treated, or examples of dignity in practice at The Hollies.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of positive family reviews in our data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive responses across more than 3,600 reviews. Compassion and dignity together account for a further 55.2%. A Good rating for Caring is a positive signal, but without specific inspector observations or resident quotes in the published text, it is worth experiencing this directly. On your visit, notice whether staff make eye contact and use your parent's preferred name without being prompted, whether they move at a patient pace, and whether they speak to residents rather than over them.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review highlights that non-verbal communication is as important as spoken interaction for people living with dementia, and that staff who are trained to read and respond to facial expression and body language produce measurably better outcomes for resident wellbeing.","watch_out":"During your visit, find a moment when a member of staff does not know you are watching. Notice whether they greet your parent by name, whether they explain what they are about to do before doing it, and whether there is any sense of hurry. These small moments are more informative than any conversation with a manager."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the July 2023 inspection. Responsiveness covers whether the home tailors its care to individual preferences and histories, whether there is a varied and meaningful activity programme, whether people can maintain relationships and pursue interests, and whether end-of-life care is planned appropriately. The published inspection text does not describe specific activities, individual engagement examples, or end-of-life planning arrangements at The Hollies.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and meaningful engagement matter more than many families expect when choosing a care home. Our review data shows that 27.1% of positive family reviews specifically mention resident happiness and contentment as a key reason for recommending a home, and 21.4% mention activities by name. For someone living with dementia, the evidence base is clear that group activities are not enough on their own. The Leeds Beckett review found that one-to-one engagement, including everyday tasks such as folding, sorting, or looking through familiar objects, can significantly reduce agitation and improve wellbeing for people who can no longer take part in organised group sessions. Ask specifically about this.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and individually tailored activity approaches, which include familiar household tasks and sensory engagement, produce stronger wellbeing outcomes for people with moderate to advanced dementia than group-only programmes.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to show you the actual record of what happened on the unit last week, not the planned schedule. Ask specifically what happens for residents who cannot join group sessions, and how often they receive individual, one-to-one engagement."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"The Well-Led domain was rated Requires Improvement at the July 2023 inspection. This is the one domain that did not reach Good, meaning inspectors identified shortfalls in how the home is managed, governed, or how its culture supports safe and high-quality care. The home is registered with a named registered manager, Ms Manuela Pouso Castelli, and a nominated individual. The published text does not describe what specific issues the Requires Improvement rating identified, what actions the provider has committed to, or what progress has been made since the inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Leadership quality is the foundation on which everything else in a care home rests. Our Good Practice evidence base consistently links management stability with positive outcomes across all domains of care. A Requires Improvement here, even alongside four Good domain ratings, means something about how the home is governed, monitored, or its culture of accountability did not satisfy inspectors. This does not mean the home is unsafe, but it does mean you should ask direct questions about what was found and what has changed. Good Practice research from Leeds Beckett identifies that staff who feel able to speak up without fear, and who see managers regularly on the floor, are a stronger signal of healthy leadership than any written policy.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that leadership stability and a culture of bottom-up empowerment, where care staff feel confident raising concerns and are seen to have those concerns acted on, are among the strongest predictors of sustained care quality over time.","watch_out":"Ask the registered manager directly what the Requires Improvement rating identified and what specific changes have been made since July 2023. Then ask a member of care staff (not in the manager's presence if possible) how long the current manager has been in post and whether they feel comfortable raising concerns. The answers will tell you a great deal."}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The Hollies cares for adults over 65 and younger adults who need residential support. The home also provides specialist dementia care.. Gaps or open questions remain on Staff at The Hollies have experience supporting residents with various stages of dementia. The home accepts both those newly diagnosed and residents requiring more advanced dementia care. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.