Royal Court Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Staff were responsive to people. The new management team were passionate about gaining peoples feedback, recent surveys had been completed for people and their relatives. Meetings had also taken place with people and their relatives to gain their feedback. People told us they were listened to. Complaints were effectively managed and actioned.

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 were provided with person centred care; people told us staff respected their needs and wishes. For example, 1 person had recently been supported to have a birthday party with their friends and family. A relative said, “They have done different activities. They have done baking and fruit tasting. They had animals in for people to touch, people really liked that’s.” The service had recently purchased new garden furniture, which allowed people to access outside seating areas should they wish to do so.

Staff told us due to the improvements within the service, this had enabled them to provide more person centred care for people. Staff told us the facilities had improved, particularly in regards to activities, to enable them to provide tailored support. 1 staff told us, “The activities cupboard is now full. I know what different people like to do. 1 person likes dressmaking. Another person who is cared for in bed likes chatting with a coffee, so we give them 1 to 1 time and take them a cappuccino.” Another staff said, “It was regimented before, this has improved, people now have more choices and person centred care.”

We observed staff interacting with people with care and respect. We saw staff putting a caring arm around people and we observed an activities coordinator actively engaging with people in a lounge, they were keen to involve all people in the activities offered.

People and relatives told us staff assisted them to access healthcare where required. One person said, “The Doctor has been in this morning, staff come in with a Doctor and provide care. The home will ring and book hospital transport for me to go to hospital when I need to. They are very good.”

Staff told us they worked closely with other services, to ensure people had their needs met. The management team had an ongoing recruitment programme in place and told us they only used agency staff to cover shortfalls in emergency situations. Plans were in place to provide a more structured, core team of staff, to improve continuity of care for people.

We received positive feedback from partners about how the service had improved and was working with them. One professional said, “The home has engaged well with our process and communication on progress with their action plan has been consistently good.”

The provider understood the diverse needs of people and the importance of choice and continuity. Records evidenced referrals were made to external professionals when required.

People were supported to make choices in line with their communication needs. For example, 1 person was supported to use flash cards to make day to day decisions about their care and support. Relatives told us they were kept informed about their loved ones. A relative said, “They have a social media page where they put photo’s, they put up posters so people know what activities are on offer.”

People had detailed communication care plans in place, to guide staff about how to communicate with people. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s communication needs. A member of staff said, “We get to know people and their communication style, for example 1 person struggles to hear, we make sure they have their hearing aids in and speak clearly to them.”

People were provided with information tailored to their individualised communication methods. Dementia friendly signage was now in place and included pictorial signage to assist people living with dementia to orientate themselves around the home.

People and relatives told us staff listened to them and responded to their requests. One person said, “Staff are very friendly, you can have a chat and fun with them. It’s important to me. They are fantastic, they can cheer you up no end. I am happy here.” People and relatives told us they were able to raise complaints. A relative said, “I made a complaint to the new manager, they sorted things out, I was happy.” Another relative said, “We can talk to the manager, they are very approachable. If we have any problems or questions we can talk to them, we have not needed to raise any.”

The manager operated an open door policy and people and staff felt listened to. One staff said, “I like the new manager, they are approachable. They take things seriously, if I had a problem, I could go to them, and they would sort it.”

Complaints were effectively managed, where complaints were received these were appropriately investigated and responded to. Relative meetings were in place and peoples loved ones were kept informed about the changes and improvements taking place. Relatives also had access to a social media page , which shared celebrations and social events. A 'You said we did board' was in place and detailed what changes had been made in response to people's feedback.

People accessed care and support when they needed it. People told us staff supported them in was which suited them. One person said, “I can have my door locked, I like to sit in my room and be quiet. I have privacy, I am happy in my room. They do knock and pop in and bring me drinks which is nice.”

Staff worked closely with the local GP practice and Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings were held regularly to ensure people's health needs were met.

There were systems in place to ensure that people received the care and treatment they needed in a timely way. We received positive feedback from partners about how the service worked with them.

The management team explained how they had supported people during the recent refurbishments, to ensure people felt comfortable and had access to staff. On the day of inspection new flooring was being fitted to the main lounge, people were supported to still sit together in the dining and smaller lounge area. People appeared happy and comfortable with this.

People were involved in choosing how to spend their day and where they would like to sit. People told us they made their own day to day choices, such as choosing to join in activities, including bingo and quizzes. People had their own personal effects in their bedrooms, such as family pictures and ornaments. One person said, “I can shower myself, I have a buzzer in there if I need any help. I can have a regular shower. I am happy with that. You can have what you want. I have a lady carer for personal care I prefer this and they do it.”

The management team and staff told us the providers had increased their budgets for activities and the environment, this had enabled them to tailor care and support for people. Such as providing dementia friendly signage, increasing activity choices and new assisted bathing facilities. Where people were supported to eat and drink, we observed staff supporting them kindly and explaining what was being offered.

Staff tailored support to people most likely to experience inequality. Care plans detailed people’s religious needs. Plans were in place to improve people's care records, to ensure they contained more personalized information about people’s culture and backgrounds.

People were supported to plan for their future and important life changes, including at the end of their life. Peoples wishes were respected and recorded. Relatives told us they were informed of any changes in their loved one’s health and well-being. A relative said, “They have care plans, and they always keep us informed, we talk about anything that needs to change.”

Staff understood their roles and about how to care for people at the end of their lives. Staff told us how they were working closely with the district nursing team, to ensure people at the end of their life were kept comfortable and pain free. Staff explained how they observed people for signs of discomfort and contacted the nurses to administer pain relief if required.

Care plans were in place and contained detail about how people would like to be spend their days at the end of their life, such as listening to music and having their loved one’s present.