Linear Park 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. Linear Park is registered to provide accommodation, personal and nursing care for up to 31 people. There were 31 people living at the service at the time of the inspection.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Risks people faced were identified and measures were put in place to reduce the likelihood of harm occurring. Staff knew the different types of abuse and how to recognise and report any concerns they had. People were kept safe by the right amount of suitably skilled staff. The process for recruiting new staff was safe and thorough. Background checks were carried out to ensure staff were suitable for their role. Procedures were followed to ensure people received their medicines safely.

People received care and support from staff who received appropriate training and supervision for their role. People's rights and best interests were promoted in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People's dietary needs were understood and met and people enjoyed a variety of food and drink appropriate to their needs.

People were treated with dignity and respect and their privacy, dignity and independence was promoted. Positive relationships had been formed between people who used the service, family members and staff.

People's needs were assessed, planned for and kept under review. People received person centred care which was responsive to their needs. A complaints policy and procedure was made available to people and relevant others. People and family members knew how to complain and they were confident that they would be listened to.

The leadership of the service was inclusive and positive. The quality and safety of the service was assessed and monitored and the required improvements were made so that people received a service which was safe, effective and responsive to their needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Linear Park is a residential care home in Newton-le-Willows. The service offers accommodation and support for up to 31 people living with dementia.

This was an unannounced inspection carried out by an Adult Social Care inspector. During the inspection we spoke with seven people who lived in the home, five visitors, six members of staff and the registered manager. There was a registered manager at the service. 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We observed care and support in communal areas, spoke with people in private and looked at care and management records.

People told us that they felt safe in the service and they did not have to wait long for staff to assist them.

We saw that medicines was not always managed safely or given in a manner that met people’s individual needs.

Some of the systems used to assess the quality of the service had not identified the issues that we found during the inspection. The majority of these were discussed with the registered manager who immediately put new systems into place.

People told us that they, and their families, had been included in planning and agreeing to the care provided. We saw that people had an individual plan, detailing the support they needed and how they wanted this to be provided.

People told us that they were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. We saw many positive interactions and people enjoyed talking to the staff in the home.

People told us that were able to see their friends and families as they wanted. We saw that there were no restrictions on when people could visit the home. All the visitors we spoke with told us they were made welcome by the staff in the home.

The staff told us they were aware of their responsibility to protect people from harm or abuse. They knew the action to take if they were concerned about the safety or welfare of an individual. They told us they would be confident reporting any concerns to a senior person in the home.

We spoke to different people about this service to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced, what they thought and how they were cared for. We spoke to three people resident at the service, two relatives of people and three staff members. We spent time observing people using the service, to see how they were cared for and how staff interacted with them.

People said that the home was, “wonderful” and that the staff were, “very kind and understanding.”

Relatives thought that the care was excellent and that they had been involved in discussing their parent’s needs and preferences even before they had gone to live at the home.

We saw that staff were kind and attentive, knew the service users’ needs and were pleasant and cheerful.

The property was well laid out and maintained and we saw records of relevant safety assessments.

We looked at the records kept by the service and saw policies relating to Data Protection and Freedom of Information which staff knew of and understood.

We spent time with four people who were living in the home. Three people were able to tell us about their views and experiences of Linear Park. People told us they were satisfied with the care and support provided to them. One person said, “I wouldn’t go anywhere else. I love the carers here and have made new friends.” Another person said “It is excellent. I can’t fault it.”

All the people we spoke with said they were always treated with dignity and respect. One person said, “You only have to touch the bell and they [the staff] come.” People told us they enjoyed the food and there was always a choice available. One person said “The food is really excellent.”

We spoke with three people who were visiting friends or relatives who live in the home. All were pleased with the care and support being provided. One person said “The staff always interact well with everybody who live here.”

People using the service were very complimentary about the care and support they are receiving, some of the comments were: “I like all of the staff, they are all helpful” “I really enjoy being here, it’s like a community” “I feel that I could go to any of the staff” “I am looked after very well” “The food is really good” “the staff are really nice” “All of the staff are helpful” and “the staff are generally well trained”.

Relatives comments: “My mum is content, happy and very settled here” “Privacy and dignity is promoted and the carers are respectful” “The senior carers are taking more initiative to contact and include me about any concerns about my mum, which I really appreciate” and “I have been asked to contribute towards mums care plan and I attend 2 reviews a year” “My mum is cared for really well” “Mum enjoys the food”

“my mum said, the food is fine and there are plenty of choices” “It’s nice that family members and guests are invited to join in a meal, the food is excellent” “I am kept informed of any issues, hospital appointments, GP visits and general health” “Things have really improved this last year, we are kept informed about what’s happening” “The home is kept clean” and “mums bedroom is always clean and tidy”.