The Langston

Updated 3 September 2019

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. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by one inspector and one Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

The Langston is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection. The service had a registered manager. The registered manager and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced and took place on 8 August 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We also looked at the notifications we had received for this service. Notifications are information about important events the service is required to send us by law.

During the inspection

We spoke with seven people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the director, the registered manager, two nurses, a senior carer, one care staff and kitchen staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s electronic care records and samples of medicines records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality audits were viewed.

After the inspection

We contacted sixteen external health and social care professionals, including commissioners to gather their views about the service.

Updated 3 September 2019

About the service

The Langston is a service providing personal and nursing care for younger adults and people aged 65 and over, some of whom were living with dementia. It can accommodate up to 36 people, there were 33 people living at the service at the time of our inspection.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were safe and supported by staff who understood how to protect people from harm. People’s individual risks had been assessed and recorded. There were enough staff to meet people's needs. People's medicines were managed safely, and people received their medicine as prescribed.

People benefitted from staff who were caring and respectful. Staff ensured people were involved in making decisions about their support. People were able to develop positive working relationships with staff. People's independence was promoted. Staff were motivated and enthusiastic about their job.

People were supported to access health care service where required. People’s dietary needs were met, and people were positive about the food. 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.

People received care that was individual to their needs and staff knew people well and were knowledgeable about their individual needs. People had opportunities to take part in activities. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. The registered manager and provider ensured staff and people were involved and felt valued. The management team ensured care practices were reviewed and used reflection to improve the service delivery for people.

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

Rating at last inspection

The Langston is not a new service and was opened in 1985. However, following the changes to the organisation’s structure in 2018, the provider registered as a new legal entity which meant they needed to register as a new provider. They registered with us on 28/09/2018 and this was their first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned, routine inspection.

Follow up

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