The Priory Care Home

Updated 10 July 2021

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 Care Act 2014.

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

This inspection was carried out by 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

The Priory Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection to check on COVID-19 factors prior to the site visit.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with four people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with three members of staff, the registered manager and the provider. We reviewed a range of records. This includes five people’s care records and multiple medication records. We also looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision.

After the inspection

We spoke with a further five people and seven relatives on the phone about their experiences of the care provided. We also spoke with the registered manager and the provider. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We contacted five professionals for their feedback about the service.

Updated 10 July 2021

About the service

The Priory Care Home is a small residential home for up to 24 older people. People have their own rooms and use of communal areas such as lounges and a dining room. Accommodation is provided over two floors accessed by stairs and a lift. Some of the rooms available are self-contained flats for people to maintain independence. There are gardens which are accessed from the ground floor and available for everyone to use.

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

People were cared for by staff who had been recruited safely and had been trained in a range of topics. There were enough staff available to support people and the registered manager kept staffing numbers under review. Staff told us they felt supported and listened to by the management team.

People’s risks had been identified and there were plans in place to give staff guidance on the support to provide. People’s health needs were met as staff made timely referrals to healthcare professionals. People had their medicines as prescribed.

The home was clean and smelt fresh. Staff used cleaning schedules to record that all areas of the home were regularly cleaned. The provider made sure equipment and the premises were serviced and in good repair.

People were able to receive visitors indoors and outdoors. Systems were in place to make sure visiting was carried out safely. For example, visiting was pre-planned and booked in advance, visitors wore personal protective equipment (PPE) and had a Lateral Flow Test (LFT) prior to their visit. These precautions applied to all visitors including visiting professionals.

People and staff were regularly being tested for COVID-19 as per the government guidelines. Staff wore PPE and had been given training on how to use it safely. The provider had ample stock of PPE available at the home. Staff had received training on infection prevention and control good practice.

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.

People and relatives told us the service was safe and felt homely and staff were friendly and welcoming. People told us they enjoyed the food and had a choice of meals, drinks and snacks. People had their own rooms which they could personalise if they wished.

There was a registered manager in post who had worked at the service for a number of years. People, relatives and staff told us the service was well-managed and they felt able to approach the registered manager with any concerns. The provider had kept people and relatives up to date with changes and events with weekly emails. Quality monitoring was being carried out to assess and identify any area for improvement.

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 15 October 2019) where we found three breaches of regulations. We imposed a condition on the providers registration for them to submit a monthly action plan to CQC. This recorded what action the provider took to make the required improvement and by when. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection of this service on 13 May 2019. 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, staff support and training 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, Effective and Well-led which contain those requirements.

The ratings from the previous comprehensive inspection for those key questions not looked at on this occasion were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection. The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

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

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.