Priory Court Care Home

Updated 17 August 2022

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of an 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

Priory Court Care Home 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. Priory Court Care Homeis 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 service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority who work with the service. 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 five people who used the service and three relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the area manager, registered manager, senior care worker, care worker and a housekeeper. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 17 August 2022

About the service

Priory Court Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 60 people. The service provides support to adults of all ages, people living with dementia and people with a physical disability or sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection there were 44 people using the service. The service is ia purpose-built care home.

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

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 had been safely recruited and received training in how to care for people safely. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs in a calm unrushed manner.

Care plans reflected people’s needs and risks had been identified and assessed. Care and equipment were in place to keep people safe from harm. People’s ability to eat and drink safely and maintain a healthy weight were assessed and where needed food was modified to be safe for people to eat.

Staff had received training in how to keep people safe from abuse and knew how to raise concerns. They were confident in the registered manager’s ability to take action to keep people safe.

Medicines were safely managed and people received their medicines as prescribed.

The home was clean and staff worked to keep people safe from the risk of infection. Staff used protective equipment appropriately.

People’s privacy and dignity were respected, and the registered manager had provided activities in the home to keep people engaged. People were able to receive visitors when they wanted.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of care provided. The registered manager gathered views of people and their relatives. All this information was used to improve the care provided.

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 October 2019).

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

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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 the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

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