Regency Care Home

The last assessment of Regency Care Home was published 7 September 2023; the overall rating was Inadequate. At this assessment the overall rating for Regency Care Home is Requires Improvement. This is based upon the findings at this assessment.

This assessment was carried out due to the length of time since the last rating. Regency Care Home was a dormant location between July 2023 and April 2025. This service has been in Special Measures since May 2023. The provider demonstrated improvements that have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.

Infection control practices were not effective at the home. Fire safety measures required improvement. The premises were not adapted for people living with dementia and risks were not always well managed. These shortcomings resulted in a breach of regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment).

Governance systems were not sufficiently effective to ensure the quality and safety of the service were consistently monitored and improved. Although a range of audits, checks and monitoring processes were in place, these did not reliably identify or address the issues found during this assessment. This included weaknesses in infection prevention and control oversight, where audits and cleaning schedules did not identify environmental cleanliness concerns, and shortcomings in environmental safety and adaptation for people living with dementia. These issues demonstrated that governance arrangements were not consistently effective to identify risks and drive timely improvement resulting in a breach of Regulation 17 (Good Governance).

Despite the presence of policies and audits, these were not sufficiently robust to identify or prevent risks to people’s safety, resulting in avoidable exposure to harm.

Staff feedback on care, domestic and laundry staffing levels was that staffing levels required improvement. Observations supported this. Training did not always take place in line with the provider’s policy and training was not in place for a number of important areas. These issues resulted in a breach of Regulation 18 (Staffing). We will request an action plan from the provider, in response to this concern.

People felt safe and relatives felt their family members were safe. Staff understood safeguarding and risk management, and medicines were handled safely.

Care was based on best practice, with regular assessments and monitoring. People were supported with nutrition and hydration, and staff worked well with healthcare partners. However, dental care had not been made available for the majority of people living in the home. Consent was respected.

Staff were caring but we observed one incident where a person’s dignity was not respected. Independence was encouraged and people were supported to make choices. A range of activities were provided with plans to further improve provision. Staff were generally responsive; however, we observed two occasions where staff did not respond promptly to a person’s request.

Care was person-centred and there was continuity of care. There was evidence of involvement of people and their relatives in their care. People’s wishes when planning for the future were considered and recorded in support plans though could be further developed.

There was a positive culture in the home and staff felt comfortable speaking up. Management was described as supportive and approachable. Staff wellbeing was promoted.

In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.