Archived: Linson Court

Updated 2 December 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. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors 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

Linson Court is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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 sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with nine people who lived at the home, and two relatives, about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 10 members of staff including the manager, associate practitioners, care assistants, activities co-ordinator and the chef.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s electronic care records, specific sections of three other care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. These records were used to support our judgements.

Updated 2 December 2021

About the service

Linson Court is a residential care home which provides accommodation and personal or nursing care to adults with a range of support needs. The home can accommodate up to 40 people in an adapted building, across two floors. Each bedroom has en-suite facilities and there are lounges, dining rooms and bathrooms on both floors. At the time of this inspection there were 27 people using the service.

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

People told us they felt safe living at the home. People received support from a staff team who were recruited safely and knew how to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. People’s medicines were managed safely. There were enough staff to keep people safe, though some people told us there were occasions when they had to wait for support. Infection prevention and control measures were in place.

We have made a recommendation about the provider’s use of PPE in the kitchen area.

Staff received an induction and ongoing training, to ensure they had the right knowledge to support people effectively. 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 were supported by kind and caring staff, who knew people well. People were actively encouraged to be involved in decision making around their care. People’s privacy and dignity was respected, and their independence promoted.

People received personalised care, which staff delivered in line with people’s preferences. The provider had an appropriate system in place to manage and respond to complaints. People’s relatives were being supported to visit the home, in line with government guidance.

The service had an open and positive culture. The provider regularly sought feedback from people and staff, in order to continuously drive improvement. The provider had appropriate governance arrangements in place, to assess the quality of the service.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 20 December 2018).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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.