CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Linsell House
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, suitable recruitment checks, detailed risk assessments and safe medicines systems. Staff understood safeguarding procedures and the home was clean.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed before care began. Staff had suitable training, people received appropriate food and healthcare, and the home followed the Mental Capacity Act principles.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff knew people well and involved them in decisions as far as they were able.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans recorded people's likes, dislikes, culture, life history and communication needs. People were supported with activities, outings and complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had an open, person-centred culture. Managers used audits, feedback and team meetings to identify and address improvements.
What inspectors found, March 2019
Rated Good in all five areas; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with the home not originally designed around some best-practice principles for choice and independence.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 4 March 2019. One inspector observed care, spoke with people, a relative and staff, and checked care, medicines, recruitment, training, safeguarding and management records.
The home was rated Good overall and Good for Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found people were safe, staff were trained and supported, medicines were managed safely, and people's health needs were met.
Inspectors saw kind and respectful interactions. Care plans included people's preferences and communication needs. People were supported to take part in activities and outings, and families were involved where possible.
The report says the building was not originally developed in line with the principles of Registering the Right Support, including choice, independence and inclusion. However, inspectors found that people were supported to be as independent as possible and to access the community. The home was also Good at its previous inspection in 2016.
Safe staffing and medicines
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs. Medicines were stored, administered and checked safely.
“There were enough staff on shift to safely support people.” from the report
Personalised communication
Care plans included individual preferences and communication methods. One person's Makaton guide included signs specific to how they communicated.
“This ensured staff working with them understood them, and could communicate effectively with them.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Staff treated people with dignity and respect, understood their backgrounds and supported their independence.
“All staff and management we spoke with were passionate about promoting people's independence, and respecting people's dignity.” from the report
Activities and choice
People took part in activities and outings. Staff had supported one person to achieve their wish to visit a theme park abroad.
“Staff acknowledged that this took a lot of planning, risk assessing and resources, but they had taken someone with complex needs on this holiday as they had wished.” from the report
Strong quality checks
Managers used audits, feedback and incident reviews to make improvements. Relatives and staff were encouraged to speak up.
“We saw that when areas for improvement were identified, actions were taken to resolve them.” from the report
Original design of the service
minorThe report says the home was not originally designed around best-practice principles that promote choice, independence and inclusion. Inspectors nevertheless found that people were supported to be as independent as possible and to access the community.
“The care service has not originally been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance.” from the report
- 01How will you support my relative's choice, independence and inclusion within the home?
- 02How will you keep my relative's care plan and communication guidance up to date?
- 03What activities and community outings would be available for my relative?
- 04How will you involve our family in care planning and in reviewing changes to care?
- 05How are medicines checked, and how will you manage the move to an electronic medicines administration system?
This was an unannounced planned inspection of the care home, covering all five CQC questions and both the premises and the care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 March 2019 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.
Every inspection of Linsell House
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- March 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 14 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.
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At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Central Bedfordshire
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 83 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“We can all fully relax around Nyarai and she feels like part of our family, which is no mean feat!”
“She handled the new situation in front of her with such professionalism and I felt I could trust her 100%.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.