Archived: Linford Grange

Updated 9 February 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 22 October 2014 and was unannounced. The visit was undertaken by an Inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Our Expert had experience in caring for someone with dementia care needs.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We received the completed document prior to our visit and reviewed the content to help focus our planning and determine what areas we needed to look at during our inspection.

We checked the information we held about the service and the provider. We saw that no recent concerns had been raised and that we had received information about events that the provider was required to inform us about by law, for example, where safeguarding referrals had been made to the local authority to investigate and for incidents of serious injuries or events that stop the service.

During our inspection, 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. We observed how the staff interacted with the people who used the service. We also observed how people were supported during their breakfast and lunch and during individual tasks and activities.

We spoke with nine people who used the service, two health professionals, the registered manager, seven members of care staff and one domestic.

We looked at six people’s care records to see if their records were accurate and up to date. We looked at four staff recruitment files and further records relating to the management of the service including quality audits.

Updated 9 February 2015

The inspection was unannounced and took place on 22 October 2014.

Linford Grange is a care service designed to achieve independent living, for individuals with mental or physical health related needs. It is registered to provide accommodation and support for 24 people. On the day of our visit, there were 20 people living in the home.

The service has 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We found that the service was safe for people and that staff knew how to recognise abuse and responded appropriately if they were concerned that a person had been abused.

Some people who used the service did not have the ability to make decisions about aspects of their care and support. Staff understood the systems in place to protect people who could not make decisions and followed the legal requirements outlined in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Staff we spoke with and our observations throughout the day, showed that staff were knowledgeable about how to meet people’s needs and how people preferred to be supported. We saw that people had their health needs met by trained staff who understood people’s likes and dislikes.

Staff received training to meet the needs of people using the service and could access additional training if required. They told us they were always looking to improve their knowledge so they could provide better care for people.

Staff were seen to treat people with respect and preserve their dignity at all times. We saw staff knocking on people’s doors and waiting for an answer before they entered.

People we spoke with told us they were happy with the service provided and how staff provided their support. There was a complaints procedure in place and staff and people knew who to speak to if they wanted to raise a concern. There were effective systems in place for responding to complaints.

We found that there were sufficient staff on duty to provide people with safe and appropriate care. Records showed that appropriate pre-employment checks had been carried out to ensure that suitable staff were employed to work with the people living at Linford Grange.

A variety of audits were in place to assess the quality of the service that was provided and were used in conjunction with involving people who used the service, their relatives, and health care professionals. We also saw that health and safety monitoring was carried out to ensure the safety of the environment for people who lived in the home.