Linden House

Updated 7 April 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 19 March 2021 and was announced.

Updated 7 April 2021

About the service:

Linden House is a residential care home providing personal care to 31 people at the time of

the inspection. The service can support up to 32 people. People’s rooms were situated over two floors and people had easy access to a lift to enable them to move freely between floors. People could move around freely accessing activities of their choosing. The service had three large lounges/sitting rooms and two dining rooms. There was also a well maintained outside space for people to access.

The service has undergone a period of refurbishment and redecoration which has received welcoming praise from people and relatives.

People's experience of using this service:

The service was extremely well-led by a management team who worked closely together to ensure people were at the heart of everything they did. The registered manager routinely went above and beyond to ensure people were well looked after, motivated and provided with innovative methods of care and support.

People told us they were happy living at Linden house. People consistently experienced good care because the service was well-led and organised. The provider's values were shared and practiced by staff who people often referred to as being like family members. One person told us, “They [staff] treat me so well, they do a wonderful job, and this really does feel like home to me.” People had been included in the recent refurbishment works as management had obtained feedback and included people on design ideas. The registered manager told us they were designing the service for the people as this is their home and so involving them in the process was important. Staff felt valued at the service and had recently taken part in a staff appreciation week which also allowed people living at the service to give their thanks and support to staff.

People were supported by staff who promoted their independence as much as possible, and who were creative in their ways of achieving better outcomes for people. People and relatives told us staff were motivated to make a difference and that they made them feel inspired and gave them confidence to make the required changes.

People were provided with a variety of opportunities to participate in activities and events hosted by the service People also had access to a variety of trips out into the community this included trips to do shopping, coffee shops or to visit a local school. The provider had recently staged a staff appreciation week which people were fully involved with and provided positive comments with regards to the care they receive from staff.

People and relatives told us they felt safe because of the quality of care they experienced. The provider took great care when recruiting new staff to ensure they met the values of the service. Staff understood and practised their responsibilities to keep people safe from harm.

People were supported by staff who had the right skills and knowledge to provide care that met people's assessed needs. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Relatives consistently told us that staff were kind and caring. Staff respected people, treated them with dignity and involved them in decisions about their care. People experienced continuity of care because they were supported by a core team of staff who understood their needs. This meant people experienced care and support that was responsive to their needs. People and relatives reported that they were very satisfied with the quality of care and support they experienced.

Potential risks to people had been assessed and measures put in place to mitigate these. If accidents or incidents occurred, staff took action to reduce the risk of similar incidents happening again. Medicines were managed safely, and staff maintained appropriate standards of hygiene and infection control. Staff supported people to maintain good health and worked effectively with any professionals involved in their care.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Good (February 2017)

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on our inspection process.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our reinspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.