SafeAre people protected from abuse and avoidable harm?72%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 8 below good
Medicines optimisationSome shortfalls
Infection prevention and controlGood
Involving people to manage risksGood
Learning cultureGood
Safe and effective staffingGood
Safe environmentsGood
Safe systems, pathways and transitionsGood
SafeguardingGood
EffectiveDoes care achieve good outcomes and a good quality of life?79%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 6 exceptional
Assessing needsGood
Consent to care and treatmentGood
Delivering evidence-based care and treatmentGood
How staff, teams and services work togetherGood
Supporting people to live healthier livesGood
Monitoring and improving outcomesExceptional
CaringAre staff kind, compassionate and respectful?80%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 5 exceptional
Kindness, compassion and dignityGood
Responding to people's immediate needsGood
Treating people as individualsGood
Workforce wellbeing and enablementGood
Independence, choice and controlExceptional
ResponsiveAre services organised to meet people's needs?79%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 7 exceptional
Care provision, integration and continuityGood
Equity in accessGood
Equity in experiences and outcomesGood
Listening to and involving peopleGood
Planning for the futureGood
Providing InformationGood
Person-centred careExceptional
Well-ledIs the home well managed, with a culture of high-quality care?79%Good
See the breakdownHide the breakdown1 of 7 exceptional
Capable, compassionate and inclusive leadersGood
Freedom to speak upGood
Governance, management and sustainabilityGood
Partnerships and communitiesGood
Shared direction and cultureGood
Workforce equality, diversity and inclusionGood
Learning, improvement and innovationExceptional
Percentages are CQC scores from its newer way of assessing homes. ?
CQC scored 33 standards: 28 good, 4 exceptional, 1 below good. Use “See the breakdown” on each key question for its standards. ?
CQC hasn't inspected this home for more than 5 years. It re-inspects based on risk, so an old rating doesn't count against a home on this site, but it may not reflect the home today. ?
Linkage Community Trust runs Swallowdale, a residential care home in Alford, Lincolnshire with room for 8 residents. It is registered to care for people with a learning disability or autism. It is a small home for Lincolnshire, where the median is 30 beds.
In Lincolnshire, 76% of rated care homes are Good or Outstanding (England 82%). Of the 6 closest rated homes, none is rated above it. Linkage Community Trust runs 20 care homes, and all 19 rated are Good or Outstanding.
Its CQC rating, from October 2026, is Good across the board: overall and for every key question. It was also rated Good at the inspection before, in August 2019. The typical rating in Lincolnshire is about 4 years old, so this one is fairly recent. Of the 33 standards CQC scored, 1 fell below good. The lowest was “medicines optimisation” (some shortfalls).
