Background to this inspection
Updated
8 July 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
The inspection team consisted of two inspectors.
Service and service type
Linfield House 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.
The service had a manager who was in the process of applying to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. When the manager is registered, they and the provider will be legally responsible for how the home is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
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. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
During the inspection we observed the care and support people received throughout the day. We spoke with six people and eight staff members.
We reviewed a range of records, including four people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment. We reviewed records relating to the management of the service, including audits, incident logs, and the provider’s policies and procedures.
We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found and spoke with one visiting professional.
Updated
8 July 2021
About the service
Linfield House is a care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 54 older people. The service supports people with a variety of health needs including Parkinson’s and Diabetes across five suites, two of which were designed to support people living with Dementia. There were 47 people using the service at the time of inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were supported by staff who knew them well, they were relaxed and engaged with a variety of activities. The atmosphere of the service was calm. A visiting professional told us, “On the Richmond unit, care assistants interact particularly well with residents, I see lots of activities and find care assistants sitting and chatting with residents, they are not just task focussed”.
People were cared for by enough staff who responded to their requests appropriately. One person told us, "The girls are very helpful and I definitely feel safe". They had a sensor mat and call bell and advised when triggered, "The girls come within seconds".
Staff were observed to treat people with respect and kindness. People were seen to be given choices which were respected. For example, staff offered additional helpings at lunch time and different options if people changed their mind about their meal choice.
Staff told us they felt supported by management, they were informed of changes to the management structure and said the changes were positive. One staff member commented, “They listen and act, not all managers are like that and its appreciated by us”.
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.
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 requires improvement (published 3 October 2019). At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
Why we inspected
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.
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.
We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other key questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those key questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.
The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this 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.