Priory Supported Living London & Home Counties

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

The last rating for this key question was good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated people with kindness and compassion. People and staff knew each other well. They had positive and friendly relationships. We observed staff supporting people in a caring way. They used their preferred names and pronouns. They talked to them respectfully. People and staff enjoyed spending time together, laughing and joking.

People told us they liked the staff. Relatives confirmed staff treated people well. Their comments included, “[The service] is relaxed and homely”, “[Staff] treat each other and the clients well” and “Staff show a passion for what they do. They have good relationships with [people].”

Staff treated people as individuals. People’s cultural, religious and lifestyle choices were respected and met. Staff explained how they helped people to prepare culturally appropriate meals. People were supported to develop and maintain relationships and take part in a range of different activities. A relative commented, “Staff treat all the residents as individuals. All their basic needs are met, and they treat them differently and in a personal way.”

We saw staff adapting their approach with different people to match people’s energy levels, emotional state and interests.

Staff supported people to learn and maintain independent living skills. Each person’s planned care reflected their individual needs. Some people led independent lives. For example, they shopped and cooked for themselves. Staff supported other people to do as much as they could independently and to be involved in these tasks. Comments from people using the service included, “I like to do things with help from my support worker” and “Staff have shown me how to prepare the meals I like.” A relative told us, “Staff are so patient. They really help [person] build up their skills.”

People were able to make choices about their lives and how they spent their time. They were also involved in interviewing potential staff or meeting them before they were recruited to share their views on these staff.

The registered manager and staff told us about different ways they had supported people to make choices and become more independent. They explained they had introduced strategies to help with this. For example, they had created a chart which 1 person used to understand what they were doing each day. The person populated the chart with pictures and ticked off the activities once completed. This had been so successful that their family had started using this strategy when the person visited them at home.

Staff responded to people’s immediate needs. People told us staff were available for support, including support with their emotional needs. One person told us, “I like to talk to the staff. They are here for me.” Relatives explained staff were responsive when people became unwell or there was a decline in their mental health. One relative commented, “[Person] is really well looked after. If [they] show signs of being unwell, the staff contact the GP straight away.”

We saw staff responding to people’s individual needs, offering person-centred support and advice. For example, 1 person started to get hot because they were very excited and active. Staff calmly supported them to find an activity to help regulate their emotions and temperature.

The provider had systems to support staff wellbeing. They offered staff a range of training and opportunities to learn skills. Staff were encouraged to create their own development plans. These were used to access training which would help staff with their career progression.

There were wellbeing services for staff including confidential counselling and advice services. The organisation celebrated staff successes and long service. They held award ceremonies for staff each year. There was a staff forum where staff could meet to discuss their experiences and share ideas with senior managers.

The registered manager and other senior staff held regular individual meetings with staff to help them discuss their roles and needs.

Staff told us they felt supported. Their comments included, “The best things about the service are the supportive team, work-life balance and opportunities” and “It is not just a job. It is a place where I feel I am making a difference while continuing to develop myself.”