In pictures: Dave Johnson’s strongman challenge

A learning disability and mental health hospital near Lincoln is to close in the coming months, less than half a year after being placed in special measures following understaffing and poor leadership concerns.

Healthlinc House in Welton, run by Elysium Healthcare Limited, is part of the company’s learning disability and autism division, providing care and support for adults with learning difficulties and/or mental health requirements.

On the site are a series of residential properties, as well as the hospital, designed for rehabilitation into everyday life post-treatment and allowing for the development of daily living skills.

In July 2021, the service was placed in special measures after an unannounced inspection from the Care Quality Commission found the service to be ‘inadequate’, with a shortage of suitable staff to deliver the correct care, ensuring people’s wellbeing.

Now, the hospital side of Healthlinc House will close down at some point in 2022, with Elysium Healthcare saying the lack of available care staff through the COVID-19 pandemic made it “impossible to provide a service to the high standard we expect”.

It is believed that around 100 members of staff will be affected by the closure, but the residential properties will be unaffected by the hospital shutting down, as the provider attempts to redeploy existing staff at the neighbouring services.

According to the Elysium Healthcare website, each service at HealthLinc House is staffed by “an experienced team of professional managers, support workers and nurses”, each having a team of clinical psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, as well as speech and language therapists.

A CQC inspection at HealthLinc House, published on January 12, 2022, found the service failed to provide safe care, with unsafe and dirty ward environments and food hygiene issues in two kitchens.

General management and maintenance of the hospital “remained a concern” according to the report, with more work needed to ensure wellbeing and privacy of patients.

The hospital was scored inadequate in the safety and leadership inspection areas, while caring and levels of response were found to have required improvement, and the CQC website states that a review of quality is currently underway.

It did, however, say staffing levels were sufficient and the relevant training had been delivered to staff, with oversight from regional management teams.

The CQC has confirmed to The Lincolnite that the decision to close the premises was that of the provider, and not by the Care Quality Commission following their recent inspections.

A spokesperson for Elysium Healthcare said: “We regret to announce that we have begun the process of closing Healthlinc House Hospital in Welton, Lincolnshire.

“Like many healthcare providers, the hospital has been hit hard by the lack of availability of qualified and experienced care staff during the pandemic, and it has sadly become impossible to provide a service to the high standard we expect.

“Despite our best efforts over a sustained period, we have taken the difficult decision to close the service in the best interests of the people we care for.

“We are now working closely with families, and our stakeholders, to ensure a smooth transition for those in our care.

“Meanwhile, we are supporting existing staff to stay within the company, either in the neighbouring services of Healthlinc Apartments and The Cottage, or at our other close by sites. We are grateful to our staff for their continuing dedication.”

A 43-year-old woman has been jailed for three years and 10 months after stealing £5 from a man in his 50s and pushing him over.

The man was approached by Kylee Ann Orton, of Frank Wright Court in Lincoln, as he was walking along Yarborough Road on October 4, 2020. The incident was reported to Lincolnshire Police at 10.46pm that evening.

A sum of £5 was taken from the victim, who thankfully sustained no injuries during the ordeal, police said.

The Lincolnshire Police city centre team located and arrested the suspect.

The case was heard at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday, January 17. Orton pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced to 46 months in prison.

An extra day was added to the sentence for failure to appear at a previous hearing.

A senior South Kesteven District Councillor has stepped down as an executive director of its environment company less than three months after being installed into position.

Conservative Councillor Robert Reid told the Companies Committee on Tuesday that he had “honestly felt” he could manage the position on Environment SK, along with his role as Cabinet Member for Housing, when he was voted in on November 2 and that he “wanted to help”.

Scrutiny councillors, including Independent Councillor Ashley Baxter, were keen to point out that they had previously questioned if the member “had the bandwidth to do this job and whether or not there was any conflict of interest”.

Councillor Reid said: “In absolute transparency, I have found there are issues within the Housing Revenue Account contract and, simply, I might have been better to have taken advice.”

He said he had previously stated he would always put his cabinet role first and added that in his short tenure he had put in place processes to “make the way forward for the transparency of the company” and refocus its direction.

Independent Councillor Philip Knowles said: “There was always a clear, clear conflict of interest between those two roles and I’m very, very pleased to say that now that’s been corrected.”

Independent Councillor Phil Dilks, who does not sit on the committee, said there had been a “pattern of confusion” around directors and accused the council’s officers of “farcical confusion” at previous meetings.

“When are we going to get this right?” He asked.

“It’s just total confusion, it’s a bloody pantomime.”

Councillors also suggested the latest update raised questions around whether there was a conflict of interest of fellow cabinet member Conservative Councillor Adam Stokes – who oversees the authority’s finance and budget, including grounds maintenance – sitting on the company.

“If Adam Stokes is a cabinet member, responsible for procuring grounds maintenance, how can he also be the chair of the company which is delivering grounds maintenance?” Said Councillor Baxter.

“The role of the director of EnvironmentSK is to maximise the income for ESK, the role of the the cabinet member of the finance is to minimise what we pay our contractors,” he commented.

Councillors also raised questions over SKDC finance chief Councillor Adam Stokes.

Councillor Reid said he had “every confidence” in Councillor Stokes.

Conservative leader Councillor Kelham Cooke suggested there was a reshuffle of his cabinet on the horizon, but told councillors advice had been received that showed there was no conflict of interest.

He said it would be shared with members.

At the meeting Councillors agreed to appoint Alan Robinson as the director of Environment SK and also to approve the appointment of an interim Non-Executive Director for up to one year at a cost of £12,000.