Priors Hall Care Home

Updated 15 February 2024

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

This inspection team consisted of 2 inspectors, 1 medicines inspector and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Priors Hall is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Priors Hall is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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 not a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the 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 reviewed care plans for 12 people. We reviewed 14 Medicine Administration Records (MAR) and records relating to accidents and incidents people had. We spoke with 7 people who used the service and 4 relatives. We spoke with 12 staff including the support manager, district manager, head of care and care staff. We reviewed a range of records that relate to the safety and governance of the service.

Updated 15 February 2024

About the service

Priors Hall is a residential care home providing the regulated activity of personal care to up to 66 people. The service provides support to older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 41 people using the service.

People’s experience of the service and what we found:

The leadership of the service instilled a person-centred culture where people achieved good outcomes. People, staff and professionals felt the home was well-led. Governance systems were in place to identify risks and drive forward high-quality care to help people to meet their aspirations of greater independence. People and staff took part in regular reviews which led to continual improvements. Staff felt valued and supported by the management team and said this helped them to ensure people felt valued also.

Risks to people’s safety were assessed and mitigated. People chose where they wanted to take positive risks to improve their independence. People were supported to take their medicines safely and were empowered to work towards doing this without support. Staff felt confident to recognise and report potential signs of abuse. People were not subject to unlawful restrictions. The home was clean and free from malodours throughout. Staff were safely recruited.

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.

Staff received training to enable them to support people effectively. The provider gave staff opportunities to complete enhanced training. The building was laid out in a way which promoted people’s privacy and independence but gave opportunities for communal engagement.

Staff were kind and caring. People were supported to direct their own care and choose how they wished to spend their time. Each person had identified their goals and aspirations and staff helped them to work towards these.

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

Rating at last inspection

The service was registered with us on 3 November 2022 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about medicine management and staffing concerns. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

Follow Up

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