Archived: Royal Care Home

Updated 31 March 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection visit at Royal Care Home took place on 14 and 18 November 2014 and was unannounced.

The inspection was carried out by two adult social care inspectors including the lead inspector for the service.

Prior to the inspection we gathered information from a number of sources. This included notifications we had received from the provider about significant events that had occurred at the service. Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used the PIR and other information held by the Commission to help us prepare our inspection.

We spoke with a range of people about the service. They included the registered manager, proprietor, four staff members and six people who used the service. Following the inspection we spoke with three family members, two local GP practices and commissioners from Blackpool Borough Council and Lancashire County Council.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We also spent time looking at records, which included people’s care records, staff training records and records relating to the management of the home.

Updated 31 March 2015

Royal Care home provides care and support for a maximum of 27 older people although we were informed by the registered manager that the home does not usually accept more than 24 people at any one time. At the time of our visit there were 18 people who lived at the home. The home is situated in St Anne’s, in a location close to the town centre with a shopping area, local community facilities and resources and public transport. All the accommodation for people living there is located on the ground and first floor of the building and a stair lift is provided to ensure freedom of movement so people living there have access to all areas of the home.

We last inspected Royal Care Home on 5 November 2013 and found the service to be fully compliant across all five of the outcome areas inspected.

This inspection took place on the 14 and 18 November 2014 and was unannounced.

There was a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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.

People told us they felt safe at the home and with the staff who supported them. One person told us, “I am very happy with the way things are. Staff are very helpful. They know to leave me alone but check up on me when they need to.” Another person told us, “I feel very safe and secure here.”

We found staffing levels to be sufficient to meet the needs of the people living at the home. The use of agency staff was limited. Staffing levels were reviewed in line with the needs of people.

People told us they were informed daily about their meals and choices were given to them. During the morning we saw that the cook came and asked people what they would like for lunch and dinner. We spoke with the cook during our inspection who told us that the home catered for any specialist diets, such as pureed diets.

We looked in detail at four people’s care plans and other associated documents. Care plans were kept securely however staff could access them easily if required. We saw that people were involved with, and were at the centre of, developing their care plans. This meant that people were encouraged to express their views about how care and support was delivered. People we spoke with confirmed they had been involved with the care planning process.

Service user handbooks were given to people and their families or carers, which described the home’s philosophy of care and included sections on privacy, dignity, communication, confidentiality and personal fulfilment. The pack also contained details of how people could raise concerns, comments or complaints about the service. Details were available about the home’s internal process as well as advice on how to raise issues to external organisations such as the Local Authority, Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Local Government Ombudsman (LGO).

Observations of how the manager interacted with staff members and comments from staff showed us the service had a positive culture that was centred on the individual people they supported. We found the service was well-led, with clear lines of responsibility and accountability. All staff members confirmed they were supported by their manager and spoke highly of the manager, proprietor and their colleagues.