Background to this inspection
Updated
21 January 2020
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.
Inspection team
The inspection team consisted of two inspectors 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 Nursing Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as 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 unannounced.
What we did before the inspection
We completed our planning tool and reviewed the information we held on the service. This included notifications we had received from the provider, about incidents that affect the health, safety and welfare of people supported by the service.
We checked to see if any information concerning the care and welfare of people supported by the service had been received. We also sought feedback from professionals who worked with the service and Healthwatch Lancashire. Healthwatch Lancashire is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced using the service.
The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with ten people who used the service and two relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with12 staff members including the provider, general manager, operations manager, registered manager, deputy manager, administrator, one nurse, four care staff and the cook.
We looked at care records of three people and spoke with staff about their recruitment, training and support they received from the registered manager. We also looked at arrangements for meal provision and records relating to the management of the home, and procedures for the administration of medicines. We reviewed the services staffing levels and walked around the building to ensure it was clean, hygienic and a safe place for people to live.
Updated
21 January 2020
About the service
Priory Court is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 25 people at the time of the inspection. Accommodation is provided across three floors with access by passenger lift to the upper floors. Most rooms are single status and some rooms have en-suite facilities. There are two double rooms. There are several communal areas and accessible gardens for people to use. The service can support up to 28 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were happy living in the home and felt safe. Safeguarding procedures were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm by staff who understood how to recognise and respond to concerns. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff deployed to meet people's needs. Medicines were managed safely, and staff worked with other healthcare professionals to meet people's health related needs. People were protected from the risk of infection as prevention and control measures were in place.
People were provided with a nutritious and varied diet. Staff were suitably trained and received regular supervisions. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People's needs were assessed but their care and support needs had not always been documented.
We have made a recommendation about care plan record keeping, which can be found in the ‘effective’ section of this report.
People were treated with dignity and respect and said staff were kind and caring. People's right to privacy was upheld. The registered manager provided people with information about local advocacy services, to ensure they could access support to express their views if they needed to.
People received person-centred care which was responsive to their needs. People’s communication needs had been assessed and staff trained to support people with hearing impairment. People were entertained and stimulated by activities provided for them. People knew how to complain, and felt concerns raised would be listened to and acted upon.
The registered manager worked in partnership with a variety of agencies to ensure people received coordinated care which met their needs. People were happy with how the service was managed. Staff felt well supported by the registered manager. The registered manager and provider completed regular audits and checks, which ensured appropriate levels of quality and safety were maintained at the home.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 13 July 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.