Harry Priestley House

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence the provider met people’s needs. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

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.

The provider made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs. Care was person-centred and unique and specific to each person. People’s rooms were decorated with their personal belongings and personalised to their own individual tastes. People received dedicated 1-1 support time which was not prescriptive; people chose what they wanted to do and where they wanted to go. There were good links with local places of worship and people attended services and helped out at community events.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. There was a stable and regular team of staff who supported people. Good communication between shifts supported continuity of care and support for people.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats tailored to individual needs. Information was displayed in easy-to-read formats throughout the care home. People who were not able to communicate verbally used picture cards to make choices and indicate their preferences. Members of staff knew people’s personalised sign language and communication styles so they were able to engage in conversation and understand their needs and requests. A relative said, “Staff communicate with [family member] well and use pictures.”

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. People were involved in regular meetings and discussions about menu planning and how the care home was run. The provider engaged an independent advocate to support people to complete easy to read surveys about their views of care and support. The outcomes of these surveys were used by the management team to make changes and improvements to the care home.

The provider made sure people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The management team were knowledgeable about how inequality could disadvantage people’s access to care and support. They ensured timely and appropriate referrals were made to local health and care services as and when required.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this. People were supported to get out and about in the local community. Members of staff supported people to engage in a range of different activities of their choosing. A member of staff told us, “Quite a few people see their families regularly. We encourage and support phoning and writing to people’s families. I update families with pictures and send them emails with updates. Each person is asked if there’s anything they’d like to do and they are supported by a member of staff travel via public transport, on foot, taxi or [care home] vehicle.” Relatives told us about how people were supported to engage in a range of activities. One relative said, “Family member is out 2 or 3 times a week. Staff take them out shopping and other activities.” Another relative told us, “[Family member] goes out a lot. They visit different places. [Family member] goes swimming, visits farms and lots of other things. They have been on the Polar Express.”

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. People’s end-of-life care wishes were recognised by the management team who acknowledged discussions around this topic could be, at times, difficult. Where people had engaged in these conversations, their preferences about what should happen at the end of their life was known and recorded in their care plan.