Linden Court

Updated 8 January 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.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought or rented and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support services.

The service did not have a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. A registered manager is a person who is legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. It is a requirement of the provider’s registration that they have a registered manager. The service had a general manager who was in the process of applying to be the registered manager.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was to check whether there were any infection control risks including cases of COVID-19 and to ensure we followed the proider’s infection control procedures.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we held about the service, including information of serious incidents the provider is required by law to tell us about. 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. We asked the local authority commissioning team for their views on this service but did not receive a response. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We looked at records of care and support and medicines management for three people. We reviewed staffing rotas and records of training, and looked at records of recruitment and supervision for three staff members. We also looked at records of health and safety checks and audits carried out by managers. We spoke with two people who used the service, the general manager and the care co-ordinator.

After the inspection

We requested some additional information from the provider. We made calls to another person who used the service and two care workers.

Updated 8 January 2021

About the service

Linden Court is an extra care service. People using the service lived in their own self- contained flats with access to shared facilities including a lounge, laundry and dining area. Meals were provided as part of people’s tenancy arrangements. At the time of our inspection the service was providing care to five people.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service

People using the service told us they were happy living there. People spoke of being treated with kindness and told us that staff listened to them and had come to know them well. A person told us “Their heart is in what they are doing, they are genuine.”

Care plans reflected what was important to people, including their families and their preferences for daily living. People’s views were sought and recorded on their care and their future wishes. Care plans were reviewed regularly to ensure that they met people’s needs.

The service worked to protect people from the risks of contracting COVID-19 and to ensure that they were able to access meaningful activities and maintain contact with family and friends. There were clear procedures for visitors to follow and staff had access to appropriate equipment to reduce the risk of infection but not a clear audit of these procedures. We have made a recommendation about how the provider audits its infection control procedures.

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 had support to eat and drink and stay well. This included supporting people to access local health services and providing meals for people to eat in communal spaces. Communal spaces and activities were used to ensure a sense of community and protect people from the risk of isolation; people had ownership of this and were encouraged to socialise and lead organised activities.

People were safeguarded from abuse and improper treatment, as staff were trained in recognising signs of abuse and reporting this appropriately. There were suitable systems for assessing risk to people’s wellbeing and putting plans in place to mitigate these. The provider carried out regular checks to ensure people were safe in the building and people were able to call for assistance as required. The service ensured people’s medicines were safely managed and checked.

Staff were safely recruited in line with best practice and there were enough staff to safely meet people’s needs. Care workers received suitable induction and training to carry out their roles, and managers made observations of staff skills and behaviours.

The management team of the service engaged with people to ensure their views were reflected in the running of the service. Staff spoke of being well supported and there were good systems of communication and lines of responsibility. Staff were allocated lead roles which encouraged them to take responsibility for important areas of service delivery and to develop their knowledge and confidence. Managers were open and honest when things had gone wrong and had a culture of learning and improvement to ensure the service continued to develop.

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

Rating at last inspection:

This service was registered with us on 15 October 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

We carried out this inspection following a routine review of information we held about this service. Our analysis of the information showed we needed to assess all the key questions.

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.