Longcroft Residential Care Home

Updated 9 January 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

There was one inspector

Service and service type

Longcroft Residential Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people and one relative. We also spoke with the registered manager and a member of care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included one person’s care record and medication record. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 9 January 2021

About the service

Longcroft Residential Care Home is a care home providing care and support for people living with mental health needs. The service supports a maximum of seven people and there were seven people using the service at the time of our inspection.

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

People and relatives were positive about their experience at the service. One person told us, “I feel happy here, I feel safe. There was talk of me moving at the start of the year but I want to stay here for the rest of my days.” A relative told us, “I am very pleased with the service, everything is excellent, and communication is very good.”

People were supported to be as independent as possible. Care and support was planned to match people’s needs in a person centred way. Risks were assessed and where needed mitigated against.

People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed. Staff had received appropriate training. There were systems in place to minimise the risk of infection and to learn lessons from accidents and incidents. Medication was dispensed by staff who had received training to do so.

The registered manager had good oversight of the service. They had encouraged a culture of inclusivity with people, relatives, staff and the community. There were systems in place to monitor and review care, and people’s experience at the service.

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

Rating at last inspection: The rating at last inspection was Good. (report published 16 January 2019).

Why we inspected: The inspection was prompted in part by notification of a specific incident. Following which a person using the service died. This incident is subject to a criminal investigation. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident.

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 coronavirus and other infection outbreaks effectively.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the Safe and Well Led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Longcroft Residential Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.