Linden House

Updated 18 May 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. We did this to understand how ready the service was to prevent or manage an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we could share with other services.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

Linden House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with CQC. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 15 March 2022 and ended on 21 March 2022. We visited the location on 15 and 17 March 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the provider added the location to their registration. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spent time observing care and support in the shared areas of the home, including using 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.

We spoke with people about their experience of the service. We spoke with six staff, including the deputy manager and nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We looked at a range of records related to the management of the service, including people’s care records, case studies describing examples of positive outcomes for people, and written testimonials from people’s families, care managers and other professionals.

After the inspection

We contacted social care professionals who worked closely with people living at Linden House. We continued to receive relevant records from the provider and to seek clarification to validate the evidence we found. We considered all the evidence collected during the inspection to inform our judgements.

Updated 18 May 2022

About the service

Linden House is a care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 23 people. The service provides support to older people, and people with physical and mental health needs, arising from alcohol and substance dependency. At the time of our inspection there were 22 people using the service.

The home accommodates people in a residential building which has been extensively adapted and extended. There has been recent redecoration. There is an enclosed garden with a barbecue.

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

People’s care and support led to outstanding, positive outcomes. People with complex needs arising from addiction received life-changing, and occasionally life-saving support. One person’s relative said, “I can’t praise the staff enough with their care, dedication, and hard work they put into making the residents safe and giving them much needed support.”

People were safe and protected from avoidable harm and abuse. The provider supported people to keep themselves and their belongings safe and secure. The provider had processes to manage people’s medicines safely, and had put in a variety of infection control measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A healthcare profession praised staff's professionalism in administering lateral flow tests.

Feedback from people and their families about the effectiveness of the service was consistently good. 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.

The service supported people to regain control of their lives, their independence and dignity. Support was based on the provider’s values of respect, response and recognition.

People had a service that was consistently well managed and well-led. The leadership and culture promoted high-quality, person-centred care leading to positive outcomes for people. Staff morale was positive after an exceptional period of stress in the adult social care sector, and there was an up-beat, cheerful atmosphere in the home.

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

Rating at last inspection

This was the first inspection since the provider took over the service in July 2020. The last rating for this service under the previous provider was good (published 4 July 2019).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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, which will help inform when we next inspect.