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CQC report explained · a residential care home

What the CQC found at Linear Park Residential Care Home

Goodpublished 1 September 2018, 8 years ago

Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.

The five questions inspectors ask
Safe?
Good
Inspectors were assured that infection prevention and control measures were safe. This included PPE, testing, visiting, cleaning, social distancing, shielding and admissions.
Effective?
Good
Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
Caring?
Good
Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
Responsive?
Good
Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
Well-led?
Good
Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
The latest report, explained

What inspectors found, February 2021

Linear Park Residential Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors were assured that infection risks during the COVID-19 pandemic were being managed safely.

This was an announced, targeted inspection on 15 January 2021. It looked only at infection prevention and control because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inspectors were assured that the home used personal protective equipment correctly, had enough supplies, followed testing and visiting procedures, and admitted new people safely. They also found that the home was clean and hygienic.

The home supported people to keep in touch with family and friends using technology. Staff followed shielding and social distancing guidance, and support bubbles helped reduce anxiety and support relationships.

What inspectors praised
  • PPE and staff training

    Staff had received infection control training and were observed using PPE correctly. PPE supplies and safe areas for removing and disposing of it were available.

    “Staff had received appropriate training and guidance in infection prevention and control (IPC) and were observed to follow correct procedures in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).” from the report
  • Clean environment

    Inspectors found the home clean and hygienic, with regular cleaning schedules being followed.

    “The home was kept clean and hygienic with regular cleaning schedules adhered to.” from the report
  • Testing and safe admissions

    The home used available COVID-19 testing for people living there and staff. New admissions were supported safely.

    “The service made effective use of available COVID-19 testing for both people living at the home and staff.” from the report
  • Family contact

    The home followed visiting procedures and helped people keep regular contact with family and friends through technology.

    “Staff reassured people throughout the pandemic and provided them with the support they needed to maintain regular contact with family and friends through the use of technology.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about

Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.

Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How are infection prevention and control procedures monitored now?
  2. 02How do you make sure staff continue to use PPE correctly?
  3. 03What testing arrangements are currently in place for residents and staff?
  4. 04How do you manage visits and help residents keep in contact with family and friends?
  5. 05How are new residents supported safely when they move into the home?

This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control practices only; the home was inspected but not rated overall. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 February 2021 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.

An earlier report, explained

What inspectors found, September 2018

Linear Park Residential Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with only minor cleanliness concerns.

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 1 August 2018. The inspector looked around the home, spoke with people living there, relatives, staff and managers, and checked care plans, medicines, recruitment, training, complaints and quality checks.

The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found that people were protected from avoidable harm, received suitable care and medicines, and were treated with kindness, dignity and respect.

The overall Good rating continued from the previous inspection in February 2016. Inspectors found that earlier improvements to medicine management had been maintained. They also found a small number of stained wheelchairs, which were cleaned after this was raised.

What inspectors praised
  • Medicines managed safely

    The home had maintained improvements made after the previous inspection. Medicines were given at the right times, stored safely and supported by suitable records and staff checks.

    “Whilst improvements were made at the time of the last inspection we checked during this inspection whether the improvements had been sustained and found that they had.” from the report
  • Kind and respectful care

    People described staff as kind and respectful. Inspectors saw staff taking time to communicate properly, understand people's interests and protect their privacy.

    “People were treated with kindness and compassion.” from the report
  • Personalised support and activities

    Care plans included people's needs, preferences and routines. The home offered group activities, individual pastimes and support to go out with family and friends.

    “Care plans were developed using a person-centred approach.” from the report
  • Good oversight

    Managers used regular checks and action plans to monitor care, medicines, records, the environment and infection control. The report says improvements were made within the planned timescales.

    “Records showed that improvements were made in a timely way in line with the action plans.” from the report
What inspectors were concerned about
  • Some wheelchairs were stained

    minor

    Inspectors found a number of wheelchairs stained with spillages. The wheelchairs were cleaned after this was raised with the manager.

    “We did however identify a number of wheelchairs which were stained with spillages.” from the report
Questions to ask them, based on this report
  1. 01How do you check that wheelchairs and other equipment are cleaned promptly after spillages?
  2. 02How do you make sure medicines that must be given at specific times, or when needed, are administered and recorded correctly?
  3. 03How will you involve my relative and our family in reviewing their care plan and changing it when their needs change?
  4. 04Which activities would suit my relative's interests, and what individual support is available if they do not want to join group activities?
  5. 05How do you assess staffing levels when people's needs or the number of people living at the home change?

This was an unannounced comprehensive inspection covering all five questions, and the ratings continued from the previous inspection in February 2016. This explanation was written from the published report of 1 September 2018 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.

The story over the years

Every inspection of Linear Park Residential Care Home

2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.

  1. February 2021Inspected but not ratedcurrent rating
    Safe: Inspected but not rated

    Read what inspectors found at Linear Park Residential Care Home →

  2. September 2018Goodstayed Good
    Safe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read what inspectors found at Linear Park Residential Care Home →

  3. March 2016Good
    Safe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  4. January 2014

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  5. January 2013

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  6. July 2011

    Report published without a new overall rating.

    Read this report on cqc.org.uk

  7. December 2010

    Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 9 December 2010.

Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.

Next steps

Weigh the report against the rest

Care at home

At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of St. Helens

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Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 92 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.

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