Royal Court Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Care plans recorded some information, however some required improvements to ensure they captured peoples individualised preferences and backgrounds. This had been identified by the provider, and care plans were being moved onto a new digital system. We observed kind and caring interactions between people and staff. People, relatives, staff and professionals told us the atmosphere in the home had improved, was more relaxed and that people were happier. People and relatives told us they were treated well and were happy with living at the service.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People told us staff respected their dignity and they were happy. Comments included, “It is lovely here, I like it.” And “Staff help me in any way they can, I can talk to them about my problems, and they help me.” A relative said, “When I come, [name] always looks clean.”

The management team had processes in place to monitor staff’s interactions with people. Staff told us the new manager ‘led from the front’, which had in turn improved the atmosphere in the home. Staff said, “Everyone works together now, it is such a lovely team, and the staff are lovely to people.”

We received positive feedback from partners who told us staff were caring. A professional said, “The new team is better, and it has made such a big improvement.”

We observed people being treated with kindness and compassion. For example, we observed a domestic staff shutting a bedroom door whilst hoovering a corridor, so they did not disturb a person who was cared for in bed. Staff were engaging with people, and we saw people reacting positively to staff.

People told us they were supported to do things they enjoyed and that were meaningful to them. One person said, “I like to colour in, staff get me some paper and pens, and I can do my own drawing and colouring. I like music and they play music for me. I enjoy my time here.” Another person said, “There is a piano I can play.” People’s religious needs were explored and respected.

Staff treated people as individuals and told us about peoples likes and dislikes. One staff said, “People choose what they want to eat and when they would like personal care.” Another staff said, “[Name] can sometimes be agitated, we sit with them and look through pictures, this helps them calm.”

We saw people choosing where they would like to be during the day, such as in the lounge areas, own bedrooms and garden areas. People’s rooms were personalised and contained items meaningful to them. Such as photographs and ornaments.

Whilst we found people were treated as individuals and staff knew peoples likes and dislikes, care records could be improved to ensure these were more person centred and included information about people’s unique backgrounds and cultural needs.

People told us staff offered them choices. One person said, “They play bingo, but I choose not to go now, I like to stay in my room reading and doing puzzles.” Another person said, “I choose when I want to go to bed.” Relatives told us their loved ones were given choices and they were kept informed about any changes.

Staff told us how they supported to make choices and promote independence. Staff told us the service was less task orientated and people now had more choice and independence.

We observed people being offered choice of meals and drinks. We saw people being offered choices of activities, such as playing games and quizzes. Activities logs evidenced several activities had taken place and were planned for the future. Such as animal encounters and baking.

Since our last inspection, an activities coordinator had been employed by the service and was working with people to enable them to choose their activities. People had been involved in reminiscence activities such as 'smells from the past' and spending time with children.

People and relatives told us staff listened to them and responded to their needs and wishes. Where people were being cared for at the end of their life, staff ensured they were kept comfortable. One person said, “Staff will come if I need help and press the buzzer. If I need anything they don’t have they will go shopping for me. They are very good.” Another person said, “I needed some help with personal care, the staff were very good, they don’t belittle you.”

Staff told us people had their needs met and there were enough staff to assist people. One staff said, “The manager knows how many staff we need, we use a tool to work it out. If we had new admissions, staffing numbers would increase.”

We observed staff responding to people’s needs in a timely manner. Staff were understanding towards people, and we saw staff explaining to people how they were supporting them. For example, 1 staff was seen explaining to someone what their pressure cushion was for. We saw staff gently cleaning people’s faces following meals, to preserve their dignity.

Staff were supported to enable them to deliver individualised care. Staff were positive about the changes in the service and felt supported by the new management team. 1 staff said, “The staff morale has improved a lot, my own morale has improved. Staff in general seem a lot happier, people are working more as a team.”

Staff received regular supervisions and were involved in regular group supervisions and team meetings. A suggestions box was in place to enable staff to raise suggestions about how the service operated.