Healthlinc House autism and disability service in special measures

Inspectors said there was a "risk of institutionalism" due to poor discharge management

A service for people with learning disabilities and autism has been placed in special measures after inspectors rated it "inadequate".

Healthlinc House in Welton, Lincolnshire, did not have enough staff to deliver safe care, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) report said.

Poor staffing also led to people staying too long and being put at risk of institutionalisation.

Elysium Healthcare, which runs the site, said improvements had been made.

An unannounced inspection took place in April after the CQC was alerted to issues around the quality and safety of the care being provided.

It found a number of issues including a shortage of permanent staff and a reliance on agency workers, some of whom did not have the appropriate training.

Inspectors said poor discharge management meant some people spent years at the service, "risking institutionalisation" when they could have been helped elsewhere.

The longest length of stay for one person was nine-and-a-half years. Another seven delayed discharges ranged from six to three years.

'Failure of leadership'

Debbie Ivanova, CQC deputy chief inspector for people with a learning disability and autistic people, said: "It was unacceptable that poor discharge management meant some people spent years at the service when their needs may have been better served elsewhere.

"Behind these issues was a failure of leadership.

"Leaders did not have oversight of the service to identify problems or articulate a vision for how it should improve."

Other areas of concern included:

• Some staff lacked the skills, qualifications and knowledge to work effectively with people's distress

• Paintwork was chipped and not clean; the environment in the apartments was not homely or conducive to good mental wellbeing. Furniture was dated, sparse and uncomfortable

• Risks of infection spreading, particularly during the pandemic, as the service did not take responsibility for cleaning in individuals' apartments

• Staff did not manage people's distress effectively and incidents sometimes resulted in harm and injury to staff and other people

However, inspectors did identify a commitment to safeguarding people from abuse and efforts to involve people in the planning of their care.

A spokeswoman for Elysium Health said: "The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our highest priority.

"The results of the inspection were disappointing, but we immediately implemented a significant quality improvement plan.

"As it has now been over three months since the inspection, the improvements we have made are well embedded."