Regent House Nursing Home

Updated 12 March 2019

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.

This inspection took place on 11 December 2018 and was unannounced. The inspection team consisted of three inspectors 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. Their area of expertise related to older people and people who were living with dementia.

This service was selected to be part of our national review, looking at the quality of oral health care support for people living in care homes. The inspection team included a dental inspector who looked in detail at how well the service supported people with their oral health. This includes support with oral hygiene and access to dentists. We will publish our national report of our findings and recommendations in 2019.

Before the inspection we reviewed information we held about the service including previous inspection reports, any notifications, (a notification is information about important events which the service is required to send to us by law) and any complaints that we had received. The provider had submitted a Provider Information Return (PIR) before the inspection. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and any improvements they plan to make. This enabled us to ensure that we were addressing any potential areas of concern at the inspection.

We spoke with seven people who were living at the home. We 'pathway tracked' three people. This is when we looked at people's care documentation in depth and made observations of the support they were given. It is an important part of our inspection, as it allowed us to capture information about a sample of people receiving care. We also spoke with two relatives of people who use the service. We spoke with six members of staff and the registered manager and spoke with other staff on duty during the inspection. We looked at a range of documents including policies and procedures, care records for eight people and other documents such as safeguarding, incident and accident records, medication records and quality assurance information. We reviewed staff information including five recruitment files, supervision and training information and we looked at the provider’s management systems.

At the last inspection on 31 August 2016 we rated the service as Good overall.

Updated 12 March 2019

This inspection took place on 11 December 2018 and was unannounced. Regent House Nursing Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The care home provides accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 30 people in one detached building that is adapted for the current use. The home is situated in a residential area in Hove. Regent House Nursing Home provides support for older people living with a range of complex needs, including people living with dementia. There were 28 people living at the home at the time of our inspection.

The service had a registered manager who was present throughout the 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.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The provider was working towards providing a more personalised service for people. We noted that improvements had been made, including in the person-centred detail of care plans. Staff were working with the Care Home In Reach Team (CHIRT) to seek advice and training on how to improve meaningful occupation for people living with dementia. The registered manager told us this was work in progress. Plans for improving the quality of life for people living with dementia had not yet been implemented. This was identified as an area of practice that needed to improve to ensure that people were not socially isolated and that they received the stimulation they needed.

People told us they felt safe living at Regent House Nursing Home. People were receiving their medicines safely. Risks to people were identified, assessed and managed and staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people. Incidents and accidents were monitored and people’s care was reviewed to prevent further incidents. The home was clean and systems continued to be effective in the prevention and control of infection. There were enough suitable staff on duty and people did not have to wait longer then they should expect to have their needs met. One person told us, “When you call the bell they come quickly.” The provider’s system for recruiting staff remained safe.

People’s needs had been assessed and staff had received training and support to meet their needs. People were receiving enough to eat and drink. One person told us, “There’s a choice of meat and vegetables, plenty to drink and a nice variety.” People were supported to access the health care services they needed. Staff worked effectively with health care professionals and included their advice in care plans. Staff understood the importance of seeking consent from people. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were kind and caring. People spoke highly of the staff, saying, “They really look after me,” and, “I like her, she’s very caring.” Staff knew people well and had developed positive relationships with people. They supported them to be involved in decisions about their care and support. People’s privacy was protected and staff supported them to maintain their dignity and encouraged them to remain independent when possible. People and relatives said they felt confident to raise any complaints and the registered manager had responded appropriately to people’s concerns. People were supported to plan for care at the end of their life and their needs, wishes and preferences were respected.

The service remained well-led and people, relatives and staff spoke highly of the registered manager. Quality assurance systems were robust and there was an emphasis on learning from mistakes and reflecting on practice to drive improvements. There was clear leadership and staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Staff had made positive links within the local community and were actively seeking to improve practice through partnership working. There were clear plans in place to support developments.