Priority Care Home

Priority Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to 37 people. The service is located in the residential area of Bradford and provides support to older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 22 people using the service. Accommodation is provided in one adapted building with lift access set over 3 floors. The ground floor has a communal dining area and lounges.

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

Risks were not always mitigated to help ensure people received safe care. Medicines administration procedures required improvement to ensure people always received their prescribed medicines when they should. There was regular review of care plans and risk assessments. However, audits had failed to identify the areas for improvement about safe medicines administration.

People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice.

People and relatives generally told us they felt safe and were confident concerns would be addressed. There was review of when things go wrong and lessons learnt. We have made a recommendation about assessing and reporting safeguarding concerns after accidents and incidents have been investigated.

Records we reviewed showed staff were recruited safely. Staffing levels were appropriate to meet people's needs. . People and relatives were involved in the development of their care plans where appropriate.

Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of their role and responsibilities. They felt well supported by the management team members. The provider gathered a range of views about the service, was responsive to feedback and took immediate action to address concerns we raised during the inspection.

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (13 October 2022). 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 the provider remained in breach of regulations. This service has been rated requires improvement for the last 2 consecutive inspections.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 13 October May 2022. Breaches of legal requirements were 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, safe recruitment and governance.

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, Responsive and Well-led which contain those requirements.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

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 remained requires improvement. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report. We have made a recommendation about assessing and reporting safeguarding concerns after accidents and incidents have been investigated.

Follow up

We will meet with the provider following this report being published to discuss how they will make changes to ensure they improve their rating to at least good. We will work with the local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

Priority Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 37 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom may be living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 25 people using the service. Accommodation is provided in one adapted building with lift access between the three floors.

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

People were not always safe. People were at risk of harm as the provider had not identified, assessed or mitigated risks. Medicines were not managed safely. Recruitment processes were not robust in checking people were safe and suitable to work in the service. Care records did not fully reflect people’s needs.

Governance systems and processes were not robust as they failed to identify shortfalls and drive improvement.

People were happy with the care they received and spoke positively about the staff who supported them. People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was maintained. Staff interactions were kind and caring. People enjoyed the wide variety of activities and events provided which they had been involved in planning. People were supported to keep in touch with family and friends.

People’s nutritional needs were met. People had access to healthcare services

The home was clean and spacious; decorated and furnished to a very high standard incorporating aids and adaptations to assist people living with dementia. There were enough staff to meet people needs and staffing levels were kept under review. Staff received the training and support they required to meet people’s needs.

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.

The registered manager and provider were responsive to the inspection findings and responded during and after the inspection to address the issues we found. They shared updates about the action they were taking and provided detailed action plans.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 30 July 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about pressure area care. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified breaches in relation to safe care and treatment, recruitment and good governance. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.