Linwood

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Requires Improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to Good.

This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The registered manager had developed a positive culture within the service, one where people, relatives and staff felt comfortable sharing ideas, feedback or concerns. This had created a feeling of general warmth and care within the service as staff wished to provide the best care they could. A relative told us, “There’s a jolly atmosphere here.”

We received positive feedback about the service which included, “The culture at Linwood is one of kindness and respect” and “All the staff are great and I do love it here.” A healthcare professional told us, “It’s a nice place. [Registered manager] is a good manager. It’s now a nice place to come in to.”

Staff were happy working at Linwood. One told us, “I take this as my second home. I’m always happy. I am cared for by my manager if I need anything. I am proud to work here.” Another said, “I would recommend anyone to work here. I’ve seen a lot of good changes because of the manager.”

The registered manager had introduced an informal family and friends’ support group where families could get together and have a coffee and a chat every couple of months. This allowed relatives to share experiences and build relationships with staff.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

We received nothing but positive feedback about management within the service from people, relatives and staff. Comments included, “[Registered manager’s] leadership is great”, “The management is transparent and accessible”, “The manager has really turned this home around”, “[Registered manager] and [deputy manager] are very good”, [Registered manager] is marvellous” and “I’ve learnt so much from the manager and deputy manager and we’re learning all the time. We’re like a family.”

The registered manager had made positive changes to the service since our last inspection and had created an inclusive, caring, safe and responsive service for people. They told us they had an open door policy and invited people, relatives and staff to come and speak with them at any time.

The registered manager had displayed strong leadership and commitment to high-quality care and as a result was awarded the provider’s manager of the year award for London and the South. A staff member said, “[Registered manager] is proactive and her presence is brilliant.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Staff told us they would have no concerns at speaking up and it was evident from relative’s meetings that they felt free to voice their views and opinions and were listened to. A staff member told us, “I understand freedom to speak up, I am comfortable to speak out, but I’ve never had to.” Another said, “I am happy with the managers. They listen to me.”

One relative told us, “The quarterly family meetings provide an excellent forum for feedback and continuous improvement.” Another told us, “I have a few concerns and I am writing an email now. I know they (management) will respond very quickly because they always do.” A third relative said, “If I had any concerns, I would speak out, but everyone is treated with great respect.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The provider ensured there was no discrimination when recruiting new staff. The provider had a sponsorship licence which meant a majority of the staff were from overseas. This promoted diversity within the staff team.

Additionally, the service ran a ‘stepping up’ programme which supported staff to develop and move within the service into a different role. This had enabled 1 care staff member to become a team leader and another to prepare to be a deputy manager. Three care staff had been nominated and reached the finals of the Great British Care Awards 2025 with 1 winner going to the finals. This demonstrated a culture which encouraged inclusion.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The registered manager told us, “We have our manager governance tracker which indicates which audits we’ve done, then we need to provide evidence. In turn [regional manager] does her audits.”

Although the audits did not identify the shortfalls we found, any issues they did highlight were addressed promptly, including those we brought to the registered manager’s attention. The registered manager and senior manager acknowledged that some practices had fallen below their expected standards.

An infection control audit had identified some chairs required cleaning, repair or replacing, a medicines audit recorded where staff were to ask the GP to review people’s medicines so they could be taken later in the morning so as not to wake them, and gaps in training compliance was highlighted. Each of the outcomes of these audits had either been immediately addressed or included in the registered manager’s action plan with a completion date. This demonstrated good management systems were in place.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

There were strong links between the service, external health care professionals and teams and the local authority. This helped ensure people received the care they required at the time they required it.

Additionally, community links had been developed. This included the local churches, schools and a nearby college. The registered manager told us, “We have the local school children coming in and we run work experience for the college students.” We also read that 1 person living at Linwood was selected to lay a wreath at the community service on Remembrance Sunday and the local mayor turned on Linwood’s Christmas lights. This showed people living at Linwood were part of the wider community.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

The registered manager was keen to learn and to improve the service. They told us, “When I joined here was no supervision, nothing in the home. Now we have built a team. When I started it was 90% agency staffing, that alone has changed. I have nurtured and worked with staff to get the home to where it is now.”

The registered manager had an overarching improvement action plan and where suggestions or recommendations were made, they acted on them quickly. This included acting on recommendations made by the local authority following a recent visit. It also included their responsiveness to any issues we identified during our visit.

The registered manager was consistently looking for new ways to support and engage people. They told us, “We want to start a dementia book club. I’ve just received the books now. We will be writing to families inviting them to come in and read books with family members.” We also read a men’s club was being established recognising that men may wish activities tailored more to their needs.