We carried out a review of the data available to us about 3-4 Priors Court Cottages on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about 3-4 Priors Court Cottages, you can give feedback on this service.
3-4 Prior’s Court Cottages is a residential care home. It provides accommodation and personal care for up to six people living with autistic spectrum disorder, who exhibit behaviours which may harm themselves or others. It provides a continuing education service to young adults from 19-25. At the time of the inspection there were six people living at the service.
The service offers on-site educational and vocational services via a learning centre, attended daily by the young adults, based on individual assessments and needs. Some people also attended off-site supported work placements.
The service effectively applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensured that people who used the service lived as full a life as possible and achieved the best possible outcomes, that include control, choice and independence.
People's experience of using this service:
People experienced high quality care that was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.
People consistently experienced outstanding person-centred care, which had significantly reduced their anxieties, the level of behaviours that may challenge others and the incidence of self-injurious behaviour.
There was a strong, visible person-centred culture in the service which drove staff to provide care and support that was exceptionally caring and compassionate.
Staff consistently cared for individuals in a way that exceeded expectations and demonstrated a real empathy for the people they cared for.
Staff had developed close and trusting relationships with people, which supported people to achieve their ambitions and extremely positive outcomes.
Feedback from people, relatives and professionals was overwhelmingly positive.
Staff were exceptionally sensitive when people needed caring and compassionate support. They discussed this with them and helped people to explore their feelings.
Staff found innovative and creative ways to communicate with each person and were particularly skilful at helping people to express their views and choices.
Staff positively welcomed the involvement of advocates and were intensely supportive of their ideas and strategies to promote people’s independence and protect their rights.
People were protected from discrimination, neglect, avoidable harm, and abuse by staff.
Risks to people's safety had been identified, assessed thoroughly and were managed safely.
People received their medicines safely, as prescribed from staff who had completed the required training and had their competency to do so assessed.
Staff effectively involved people and their relatives where appropriate, in decisions about their care, so that their human and legal rights were upheld.
Staff felt valued and respected by the management team who had created a true sense of family within the service and a strong team spirit.
The registered manager ensured enough staff were always deployed to meet people’s needs.
The provider completed comprehensive pre-employment checks to ensure prospective staff were suitable to support people living with autism.
Effective training and support ensured staff had the required skills to meet people’s needs and promote their quality of life.
Staff responded quickly to changes in people’s needs. The service liaised well with internal and external healthcare professionals and demonstrated an effective multi-disciplinary approach.
People’s health, dietary and emotional wellbeing needs were well supported.
Staff knew people’s interests and preferences and supported them to access community activities of their choice and to pursue employment and education opportunities, which enriched the quality of their lives.
People’s care plans were comprehensive, individualised, and regularly reviewed, providing staff with the required information about people's needs and how to meet them.
Staff and relatives felt their views were listened to and that the service was well managed.
The service was well led, effectively monitored and staff sought to constantly develop and improve the quality of care. External accreditation and evaluation had also been sought.
The registered manager had worked effectively with local organisations, health and social care professionals and multi-disciplinary teams.
Rating at last inspection:
At the last inspection the service was rated Good (16 May 2016). At this inspection the rating remained Good overall, although we found the service to be Outstanding in Caring.
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection to review whether the service remained good.
Follow up:
We did not identify any concerns at this inspection. We will therefore aim to re-inspect this service within the published time scale for services rated good. We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
The provider offers on-site educational and vocational services via the learning centre, attended daily by the young adults, based on individual assessments and needs. Some people also attended off-site supported work placements.
The inspection took place on 16 May 2016 and we gave short notice so staff could prepare people for our visit. This was to minimise the risk of our visit causing anxiety to people due to their needs relating to autism.
The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The service provided safe and effective care to people on the autistic spectrum. People’s support needs were effectively met and they received appropriate and consistent support to manage their own behaviour.
People’s needs were regularly reviewed with the involvement of the person and, where appropriate their relatives. People were encouraged to make day to day decisions and choices about their daily lives.
Relatives were very happy with how the service met people’s needs and were appropriately involved in decision-making about people’s care. They felt their views were sought, listened to and acted upon.
People’s legal rights and freedom were safeguarded by the staff.
The service had a robust recruitment system. This together with regular training and support helped ensure staff were highly skilled and competent to meet people’s needs.
People’s health, dietary and emotional wellbeing needs were well supported. Care plans and related records were detailed, individualised and regularly reviewed.
Staff and relatives felt their views were listened to and that the service was well managed.
The service was well led and effectively monitored and sought to constantly develop and improve. The views of external accreditation and evaluation organisations had also been sought.
Is the service caring?
Is the service responsive?
Is the service safe?
Is the service effective?
Is the service well led?
This is a summary of what we found:
Is the service safe?
People received care and support in accordance with agreed care and approved behaviour management plans which were regularly reviewed. Appropriate professionals were involved in reviews as well as family representatives. Incidents were monitored and analysed by the psychology team who revised behaviour management plans in the light of these.
Where people had healthcare needs, the home had sought the advice of external healthcare specialists appropriately to maintain their wellbeing and safety. We saw that staff were aware of the health needs of the individuals they were supporting.
CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. We found that the home had liaised effectively with the local authority DoLS team and had made applications as appropriate. The manager was not aware of a recent Supreme Court judgement relating to 'deprivation of liberty' but began immediate discussions with senior management regarding the implications, when notified of this during the inspection.
The parents we spoke with told us the service was well run and met people's needs. One parent described the home as: 'a really fantastic place.' and another told us: 'we are grateful he is there.'
Is the service effective?
We saw that people's needs were well met by a knowledgeable staff team. People's needs had been effectively met and any changes were referred to management and acted upon. We saw that the people supported enjoyed positive relationships with the staff. The family members we spoke with told us the home met people's needs effectively and provided them with a fulfilling lifestyle.
The parents we spoke with told us that the home was effective in meeting people's needs. One said: 'she has massively improved.' and another told us: 'X's language had flourished.' since coming to Priors Court.
Is the service caring?
We saw staff working in a caring and respectful way while supporting people. They enabled people to make decisions and choices and understood their individual communication well. We saw that staff gave people the time they needed to process the information they were given to make choices.
The parents we spoke with thought the service was caring. One told us the staff were: 'very committed.' And another said: 'things are always done in his best interests.'
Is the service responsive?
We saw that people's care plans and other documents recorded people's needs and where these had changed. Care files showed that the home responded promptly to any changes and sought appropriate specialist advice where necessary.
Care was provided based on people's known and indicated wishes and preferences. People had access to meaningful activities and the community.
The parents all felt that they were involved and consulted and that the service responded to people's needs. One parent said: 'they are flexible to meet X's needs.'
Is the service well-led?
We found that the home provided consistent care to people and was well-managed. There were clear lines of managerial responsibility. A range of audit and monitoring systems were used by the management team to maintain an effective overview of the home's operation. Action had been taken to address issues where these were identified. The views of people's relatives were sought and acted upon.
Parents described the service as: 'well managed.' and: 'good at communication'.
The young people had a wide range of social, educational and vocational opportunities and were actively encouraged to make decisions and choices.
Staff had all been trained in a recognised system to support people to manage their own behaviour and any incidents were fully recorded, monitored and analysed by the in-house clinical psychology team.
Parents told us the staff worked effectively with the young people and were happy that they were safe and with the progress they had made.
A detailed induction and training programme was in place though we found some gaps in the training provided. Staff were supported to obtain further qualifications relevant to their work and received regular supervision.
The operation of the service was regularly monitored by management and the board of trustees and a programme of independent monitoring visits was being developed. Parents and staff had been consulted about their views on the home's operation and complaints had been appropriately addressed and resolved.