Archived: Lincolns Care Ltd

Not everyone using Lincolns Care Ltd receives the regulated activity; CQC inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’, help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

This announced inspection took place on 21, 22 and 27 March 2018. This was the first inspection of this service since their CQC registration changed in December 2016. There were nine people, receiving the regulated activity of personal care at the time of this inspection.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Staff had an understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Although not all peoples capacity had been formally assessed. Staff knew how to and where to report any suspicions poor care practice or harm.

People were assisted to take their medication as prescribed. However there were some inconsistencies within people’s care records and risk assessments over whether people were able to manage their medication themselves or required staff assistance.

Processes were in place and followed by staff members to make sure that infection prevention and control was promoted and the risk of cross contamination was reduced as far as possible when supporting people.

Staff assisted people in a caring, patient and respectful way. People’s dignity and privacy was promoted and maintained by the staff members supporting them.

People and their relatives were given the opportunity to be involved in the setting up and review of people’s individual support and care plans. People were supported by staff to have enough to eat and drink.

People were assisted to access a range of external health care professionals and were supported by staff to maintain their health and well-being. Staff and external health care professionals, would, when required, support people at the end of their life, to have a comfortable and as dignified a death as possible.

People had care and support plans in place which documented their needs. These plans informed staff on how a person would like their care and support to be given, and how it was to be given in line with external health and social care professional guidance. However, some people’s care, support plans lacked detailed information for staff on how to assist people with their specific health conditions and support needs.

There were enough staff to meet people’s individual care and support needs. Individual risks to people were identified and monitored by staff. Plans were put into place to encourage people to live as safe and independent a life as practicable. However, people’s risk assessments sometimes lacked detailed information as guidance for staff to refer to on how to mitigate people’s known risks.

Accident and incidents that occurred at the service were recorded. Learning from these incidents were communicated to staff during team meetings. This was to reduce the risk of recurrence and drive improvements forward.

There was a recruitment process in place and staff were only employed within the service after all essential checks had been suitably completed. The standard of staff members’ work performance was reviewed through spot checks, supervisions and appraisals.

Not all staff had been sufficiently trained to be able to provide care which met people’s individual needs effectively and safely.

Compliments about the care and support provided had been received. Records showed that there had been no documented complaints received by the service since the last inspection.

The registered manager sought feedback about the quality of the service provided from people, and their relatives. Audits were undertaken to monitor the quality of the service provided. However, shortfalls that had been identified, action to bring about the required improvement had not always been recorded to demonstrate that action had been taken.

The provider’s records showed that some incidents that the provider was legally obliged to notify the CQC of had been submitted.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.