CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at The Links
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks were reviewed, medicines were administered safely and recruitment checks were carried out, but inspectors saw periods when some communal areas were unsupervised.
- Effective?
- Good
- No separate Effective rating or findings were given in this report.
- Caring?
- Good
- No separate Caring rating was given. The report did describe exceptional staff engagement and person-centred care under Responsive.
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Staff knew people exceptionally well and adapted care to their histories, preferences, communication needs, cultures and end of life wishes. Activities were varied, inclusive and linked to people's interests.
- Well-led?
- Outstanding
- Inspectors found exceptional leadership, motivated staff, strong staff wellbeing and effective systems for learning, monitoring quality and involving people and families.
What inspectors found, November 2023
The Links was rated Outstanding; inspectors found exceptional, personalised care, with Safe rated Good and some communal areas needing better staff cover.
Inspectors visited on 27 July and 10 August 2023. The first day was unannounced and the second was announced. They spoke with 8 people, 4 relatives and 16 staff, and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Outstanding overall. Responsive and Well-led were Outstanding. Safe was Good. Inspectors found people were safe, medicines were given as prescribed, staffing met people's needs and risks were reviewed.
Inspectors found especially strong personalised care. Staff knew people very well and worked with families to respect people's histories, communication needs, cultures and wishes. End of life care, activities and links with the community were also praised.
Inspectors did see periods when people were unsupervised in some communal areas. The registered manager took action during the inspection to improve staff deployment. The last inspection, published in 2018, also rated the service Outstanding overall, with Safe Good, Responsive Outstanding and Well-led Outstanding.
Personalised care
Staff worked closely with people and families to find creative ways to respect individual histories, preferences and communication needs.
“Staff worked closely with people and their families to find innovative approaches to providing outstanding person centred care” from the report
Inclusive activities
Activities and events reflected people's cultures, diversity and interests. The home also developed relationships with local schools and the wider community.
“Social activities were inclusive, varied and representative of the diversity of people and the staff team at The Links.” from the report
End of life support
Staff knew people's final wishes and worked with families and specialist services to provide individual support, including overnight accommodation for families.
“People received excellent care at the end of their lives. People's last wishes were known and reflected in the care they received.” from the report
Strong leadership
The report found a positive culture, motivated staff and management systems that used feedback, audits and research to improve care.
“The service was exceptionally well led. Staff were highly motivated and able to share many examples of achieving exceptional, positive outcomes for people.” from the report
Communal areas were sometimes unsupervised
needs fixingInspectors saw periods when people were unsupervised in some communal areas, including during a fire alarm test when one person became agitated. The registered manager put additional staff deployment in place during the inspection.
“We observed periods of time when people were unsupervised in some communal areas.” from the report
- 01What staff deployment changes were made after inspectors saw people unsupervised in communal areas?
- 02How do you now check that communal areas are supervised throughout the day, including during fire alarm tests?
- 03How will you make sure care plans continue to reflect a person's history, culture, communication needs and personal wishes?
- 04How are medicines incidents reviewed, and what further checks are now in place to prevent them happening again?
- 05How can families be involved in care planning, activities and decisions about the home's development?
This inspection rated Safe, Responsive and Well-led; Effective and Caring were not given separate ratings in the report. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 November 2023 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.
What inspectors found, August 2021
The Links was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and visiting arrangements.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 9 July 2021. It looked at how the home was preventing and controlling COVID-19 infections.
Inspectors found that infection control policies were current and being reviewed. Staff had infection control training, personal protective equipment was available and used correctly, and testing and vaccination programmes were in place.
The home had arranged visits with testing, protective equipment and health checks. It also provided a separate visiting area, telephone and video calls, and extra support for people who were self-isolating.
The home was clean and equipment was in good repair. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give a full quality rating or ratings for most of the five areas.
Infection control
Policies and practices followed government requirements and were reviewed when guidance changed. Regular audits identified improvements and checked progress.
“Infection, prevention and control (IPC) policies and practices were in line with government requirements and reviewed to reflect any changes in guidance.” from the report
Protective equipment and training
Staff had infection control training and regular checks of their skills. Protective equipment was available and observed being used correctly.
“People were supported by staff that had received IPC training and had their competencies regularly checked.” from the report
Safe visiting
Visitors were tested, given protective equipment and checked for symptoms. A separate visiting area helped people see relatives more safely.
“An area, with its own external access, had been created as a safe visiting space.” from the report
Clean environment
The home was clean, equipment was in good repair and cleaning had been increased for frequently touched surfaces.
“The home was clean, and equipment was in good repair.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What infection control changes have been made since the inspection in July 2021?
- 02How are staff infection control skills checked now?
- 03How do visits work now, including testing, protective equipment and symptom checks?
- 04How do you support residents who need to self-isolate to avoid becoming socially isolated?
- 05What are the home's current ratings for care quality areas that this inspection did not assess?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic; the service was inspected but not rated and the other quality areas were not assessed. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 August 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.
Every inspection of The Links
4 rated inspections over 9 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Outstanding.
- November 2023Outstandingcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- August 2021Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2018Outstandingup from GoodSafe: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- February 2016Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- June 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2012
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 26 October 2012.
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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
37 live-in carers within about an hour of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
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 £1,000 to £1,340 a week. 26 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
“We could not have managed without her calm, reassuring presence and practical knowledge and skill in caring and supporting both my husband and the family and I.”
“I cannot recommend Prisca highly enough, she is one in a million.”
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.