- Care home
Royal Garden Hotel
Assessment report published 17 September 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Dates of assessment: 23 July to 10 August 2026. The Royal Garden Hotel is a care home providing support to older people. At the time of our assessment, 13 people were receiving a regulated activity. The building comprises private bedrooms, private self-contained flats and communal spaces such as lounges and dining areas. People who lived at the service had low care needs and were enabled to retain their independence.
People were supported by enough staff who were trained and competent in their role. However, record keeping in relation to recruitment processes required some strengthening. The staffing team were consistent, and many told us they felt well supported and valued in their roles.
People chose to live at the Royal Garden Hotel and were aware of the provider’s vision for them to remain as independent as possible and in control of their own lives. Staff worked by the values of the service and supported people to retain their autonomy. Staff worked with healthcare professionals to promote positive outcomes for people; however, specialist involvement had not been quickly sought for a person whose needs had rapidly increased.
People received person-centred care and they had opportunities to pursue new interests, maintain relationships and remain involved in their local communities. New activities had been introduced and people told us they felt included and engaged.
There was a positive and inclusive culture where people, relatives and staff felt able to raise concerns and share their feedback to contribute to the running of the service. They told us the management team were approachable and listened to them. The management team demonstrated a commitment to learning and had introduced changes in response to feedback from people, their relatives and staff.
People living at the service had full mental capacity. Staff offered choices and respected people’s decisions. Risk assessments were undertaken to support people with the self-administration of medicines and where people had differing requirements of medicine support staff used various person-centred approaches in line with their abilities.
Governance systems were in place, for example, to ensure medicines were managed safely, the environment was clean and well maintained. However, some areas required strengthening to ensure fully effective oversight and action. We identified a concern which had been managed internally but not referred to the local authority in line with the provider's policy. There were some inconsistencies within care records, recruitment records and risk management documentation. Despite these shortfalls, they had not resulted in poor outcomes for people and staff demonstrated a good understanding of people's needs. The registered manager responded positively to our feedback and took immediate action to address the areas identified during the assessment.
Feedback from people, their relatives and visiting professionals was positive about the quality of care staff provided. People told us they felt safe and were treated fairly with kindness and respect by staff who knew them well. People’s relatives described the service as welcoming and like a family setting, while professionals spoke positively about the quality of care and the provider's partnership working.
People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). As people had full mental capacity, no DoLS authorisations were required for people. However, the registered manager demonstrated their understanding of the principals of the MCA.
People's experience of this service
People and their relatives told us they were happy with the overall service, and they felt safe and comfortable with staff and the management team. A person commented, “I like the others that live here, I've made some nice friends, but the staff are really lovely too.” A relative said, “[Person] is safe, the staff are very caring. They spend time and ask [person] about what they want. Staff offer [person] baths, which they supervise for safety. Someone stays in the bathroom with [person]. This is a staff who they like and very much and trusts.”
We observed people received dignified and respectful care from staff who they spoke highly of. People’s comments included, “I interact with the staff, they are so good. I realise it's not a care home in the normal sense; they are very caring and help me with bathing, cleaning and laundry occasionally.” And, “They (staff) are very, very helpful in every way.” Relatives further commented, “Definitely [person] is treated as an individual. [Person] can stay in their room if they wish. When they are a little bit poorly, staff take the meals to [person’s] room to make them comfortable.” And, “The staff get on well together and they have worked there for a long time. They get on well with all the residents and the families that visit. It feels like a family unit.”
People told us staff offered choices and always asked for permission before providing any support. A person said, “All the girls are very polite I couldn't wish for better. They always ask me for consent before helping me in anyway, but I would never say no to them because it's always done with a good heart.” People told us they had control over their daily lives and described their usual routines which staff supported them to maintain. We observed people going out for the day and a person told us how they were increasing their skills by learning a new language.
People were enabled to do the things they enjoyed doing. We observed a group session which most people participated in, and people continued their hobbies, such as, knitting and card games. A relative told us, “[Person] is very independent and can make all their own decisions. [Person] feels very independent in her little flat. They can choose which activities to go to, which they really enjoy. They can choose to eat in their room or to go down to the dining room.”
People were supported to maintain a healthy lifestyle and where needed, staff contacted relevant professionals for advice. A person said, “I like the staff here, they are good staff and they take care of you. They would contact a doctor if needed, but I haven't needed this.” A relative shared, “They are a brilliant team. They tell me how [person] has been each time I visit and call me if I need to know something. The staff are friendly with each other. They work well with other professionals and listen to their advice.”
People and their relatives described a compassionate and visible registered manager who they could speak with any time and would listen to their concerns. A person said, “I don't think I've ever had any complaints, but I would just talk to the staff or maybe I'll talk to [members of the management team] because they would listen, but I’ve nothing to complain about.” A relative commented, “I know I could speak to the manager and to the owner, I have their emails. I have had no reason to complain.”