Prince of Wales House

Updated 28 November 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Prince of Wales House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Prince of Wales House is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a manager registered with CQC on our records, but they had left the service in June 2023. A new manager was in post and their registered manager application had been received by CQC and was being processed.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 8 people who used the service and 6 people’s relatives to gain feedback about their experiences of the service. We also observed the staff interactions with people. We spoke with 10 staff members, including the manager, deputy manager, senior, care, maintenance, activity, dementia support manager and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed the care records of 5 people who used the service, and medicines records. We also looked at a range of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and monitoring systems, health and safety records, 3 staff recruitment records and a further 3 staff files relating to training and supervision.

Following our inspection visit, we received electronic feedback from 4 staff members and 11 relatives. We spoke with 2 relatives on the telephone.

Updated 28 November 2023

About the service

Prince of Wales House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 49 people. The service provides support to people who may be living with dementia, in an adapted building. At the time of our inspection there were 45 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found

People received an extremely caring and compassionate service. People were clearly central to their care and support and their views and preferences about how their care was provided was valued and listened to. People’s individual and diverse needs were identified, and care was shaped to ensure their support was tailored to them personally. A relative told us, “We couldn’t be happier with the care [family member] gets. The staff are always brilliant both with [them] and also us…the communication is superb … I cannot speak highly enough of the home and staff; I can honestly say I know [family member] is safe and well cared for.”

Without exception we received extremely positive feedback from people and relatives about the exceptional and compassionate care staff provided. People were supported to have their needs and preferences met which achieved good outcomes. A relative told us, “[Family member] enjoys the loving caring attitude towards [them].” Another relative said, “I am reassured when I leave the home knowing [family member] is loved and cared for.”

People had access to a range of creative activities which they could participate in, if they chose to. A relative said, “[Staff] certainly encourage people to join in activities, of which there seems to be many... [Family member] also had lots of trips out, which they love particularly to the seaside. The staff certainly go the extra mile. I would also like to commend their [social media] page, which is a lovely way to see what people have been doing, as [family member] usually forgotten by the time I see [them].”

The provider, management team and staff were a very cohesive team and knew the people they care for very well. This meant people were provided with high-quality person-centred care. People had access to varied and creative social activities which met their individual interests and reduced risks of isolation and boredom.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were trained to meet the needs of people and there were sufficient staff on duty. Staff were recruited in a safe way. The management team and staff were committed to providing an extremely high quality and compassionate service and understood their roles and responsibilities.

Systems were in place to reduce the risks of avoidable harm and abuse. Medicines were managed safely, and people received their medicines when needed. The service was clean and hygienic, and the environment was suitable and accessible for the people using the service.

People were provided with enough food and drink and their nutritional and hydration needs were assessed and met. People had access to social and health care professionals, where required.

The provider and management team had effective systems in place to assess and monitor the service provided and continuously drive improvement. People’s views and comments, including concerns and complaints, were valued and used to improve the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Outstanding (published 12 December 2017).

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Prince of Wales House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. Prior to our inspection we had received concerns about the safeguarding processes in place. A decision was made for us to examine those risks. The provider had taken swift action and we were assured the systems in place were robust to reduce the risks of abuse.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow Up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.