Priors House

Priors House has 2 registered providers meaning both legal entities are responsible for this service.This service provider was registered with us on 21 October 2024, and this is their first inspection.

During this inspection we spoke with people who lived at the service, their relatives, staff, the registered manager and sought feedback from other healthcare professionals. We looked at care plans, recruitment files and quality assurance records.

There was an extremely positive culture within the home. Staff told us they enjoyed working at Priors House and valued being able to provide high standards of care to people. One staff member commented, “Our focus is on resident’s safety, happiness and health. That is our priority. We do it by being honest, being open and learning together.” Staff consistently expressed great confidence in the leadership of the home and described the registered manager as always being available to them, encouraging and supportive. Staff felt safe to speak up and confident their views and opinions were valued and respected. Staff described a diverse staff team and gave examples of how diversity, beliefs and cultural celebrations were respected and supported. Reasonable adjustments in roles and working patterns promoted an inclusive working environment and reduced disadvantage.

Managers and staff worked effectively with external health and social care professionals from the pre-admission assessment through everyday care provision to end of life care. Deterioration in people’s health was promptly escalated to try and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.

Staff recognised the inequalities people could face due to their age, disability or cognitive impairment and understood their role in advocating for people and safeguarding them from harm, abuse or discrimination. Staff used their knowledge of people’s backgrounds and histories to respond in a person-centred way when people were anxious or low in mood.

People’s needs were assessed before they moved to Priors House to ensure staff had the skills to meet their needs and promote positive outcomes. Staff received regular training opportunities and were encouraged to gain further qualifications in health and social care. Staff described an open and transparent culture where they were encouraged to acknowledge their mistakes and take action to improve their practice.

Care records informed staff about risks to people’s health and wellbeing and the action they needed to take to mitigate identified risks. Environmental and infection control risks were well managed, and people received their medicines as prescribed. We found improvements were required in some record keeping but other monitoring records reflected risk management strategies were being carried out as planned.

Systems and processes were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Regular audits and checks were completed to ensure the provider’s policies were followed and regulatory and legislative compliance maintained.