Priory Park Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 79 (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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff and leaders demonstrated a positive, compassionate, listening culture that promoted trust and understanding between them and people who use the service, staff and external partners.

A staff member said, “we have enough information in care plans, we get good training”.

The statement of purpose documented peoples right to privacy, dignity and independence and leaders worked with people, their relatives and staff to build a culture that focused on enabling people to enjoy their lives.

A relative said, “People are respected, staff take their time” and “It never seems like it’s just a job, each carer is committed to giving the best they can, it’s a wonderful thing for residents.”

The provider had exceptionally inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Leaders at all levels were visible and available. They lead by example modelling inclusive behaviours, with open and cooperative behaviours. All the staff we spoke to felt supported by the management team and directors, they quoted that they were visible on the floor and easy to speak to. All staff received regular supervisions from a senior or the deputy manager.

Throughout the inspection the registered manager and leadership team demonstrated a detailed, person-centred understanding of people and how the service could best meet their needs and where possible exceed expectations.

One external partner shared that, “The registered manager has a very good understanding and knowledge of each resident and their needs” another said, “The manager is responsive to concerns.”

Managers had access to ongoing training, and the service demonstrated its commitment to succession planning with carers becoming seniors and successfully moving into other roles within the organisation.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Leaders appeared open to feedback, and staff described being supported to speak up if it were needed. They received regular supervision alongside meetings where there was opportunity to raise issues. The deputy manager had made herself available to night staff to allow them the opportunity to raise concerns. A staff member shared “I’ve never felt I couldn’t speak to them; they really want what’s best for the residents here.”

There was a comprehensive complaint, suggestions, compliments policy and procedure. The policy described the process taken to investigate concerns effectively and confidentially.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The home had an equality and diversity policy and staff protection from discrimination was covered within that. Staff also received training in these areas.

The staff team at the home was diverse, a staff member described how they all respected and supported each other’s cultural festivals, “We will cover and work the shifts at Christmas and other staff will do the same for us whilst we are fasting or celebrate Eid.”

Several staff members were employed from overseas. The appropriate checks were in place, and any conditions of sponsorship were being met by the provider.

A number of staff commented positively on the good atmosphere at the home, and how helpful and nice the team was.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The registered manager and deputy manager conducted daily, weekly and monthly checks to ensure they had good oversight of the home. There were systems in place to audit health and safety, IPC, and medicines. Care interactions were recorded digitally and alerted the registered manager to any upcoming or missed tasks.

The provider’s business continuity plan detailed their preparedness for emergencies and adverse events.

The manager submitted statutory and regulatory notifications in a timely manner as per regulatory requirements.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

A local church visited twice weekly offering spiritual guidance, prayer and holy communion. People had enjoyed visits to a local high school to watch a play, visited local garden centres and supermarkets and other attractions embedding individuals into local community life. On the minibus individuals had the opportunity to visit the wider community.

The home decided to support a charity, a local refuge for domestic violence victims was nominated and individuals, staff and families participated in a wish tree with a large number of items donated at Christmas time.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

Staff and leaders ensured that people using the service, their families and carers were involved in developing and evaluating improvement and innovation initiatives.

Audits focused on learning and improvement with lessons learnt shared between staff and teams at partner homes.

During our observations we noted some chairs in the lounge that were looking worn, these had already been identified in the manager’s audit and replacements had been ordered and were awaiting delivery. Several areas in the home were freshly decorated and looked homely. The manager explained there was a schedule of maintenance to be completed including decoration, they felt they had the funding required to make the needed improvements. Wallpaper samples were placed on the walls with feedback sought from people, their families, visitors and staff.

Internally the staff team raised money by completing a sponsored 10k run and a projector was purchased for the home.