Royal Care Dover

Updated 15 July 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 was carried out by an inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

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 registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people and 2 relatives about their experience of the care and support provided by Royal Care. We reviewed a range of records, including 4 people’s care plans and associated risk assessment. We reviewed 2 staff files in relation to recruitment and supervision. We spoke with 6 staff, including the registered manager. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 15 July 2023

About the service

Royal Care is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care to people in their own homes. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection 39 people were receiving a personal care service. People had a variety of health needs and some people had physical disabilities. The service provided support to people at the end of their life who wished to remain at home.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Risks to people’s health, safety and well-being were assessed, monitored and reviewed. There was guidance for staff about how to minimise risks. People received their medicines safely.

People were protected from the risks of abuse by staff who understood how to recognise the signs of abuse and how and where to report any concerns to. People told us they felt safe being supported by Royal Care staff. A person commented, “I have never felt unsafe or uncomfortable.” People were protected from the risks of infection by staff who were trained in infection prevention and control.

People were supported by a team of regular staff, who knew people well. People and their relatives told us staff arrived on time and completed everything they expected. People said staff were kind and caring and they were not rushed. They said their privacy and dignity were respected.

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.

Checks were completed to monitor the quality and safety of the service. The service continued to drive improvements. Staff performance and competency were monitored, and staff told us they felt valued and supported by the management team. People, staff and health care professionals were asked to provide feedback about the quality and safety of 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 and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 17 April 2020. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve.

At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 26 February 2020. A breach of legal requirements was found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment.

We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions safe and well-led which contain those requirements. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good based on the findings of this inspection.

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

Follow up

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