CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Priory Court Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, safe medicines management and systems to protect people from abuse. Risks were assessed and care was planned to keep people safe.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and staff received induction, training and ongoing support. People were supported with food, drink, healthcare and decisions about their care.
- Caring?
- Good
- People and relatives described the care positively. Staff respected people's choices, privacy, dignity and independence.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's needs and were reviewed. The home provided activities, supported communication needs and had arrangements for complaints and end-of-life wishes.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home used audits and feedback to monitor care and make improvements. People, relatives and staff said the manager was approachable and the home was well managed.
What inspectors found, August 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-managed care, with improvements since the previous inspection.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 22 June 2022. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff. They observed care and reviewed care plans, medicines records and management records.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines management, suitable care plans and good infection control. People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect, and were supported to make choices.
The home had improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection in 2019. The provider had previously breached regulations about safe care, complaints and quality monitoring. Inspectors found enough improvement had been made and the home was no longer in breach.
Safe staffing
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs in a calm and unrushed way. Staffing levels could be adjusted when people's needs increased.
“There were enough staff to meet people's needs in a calm unrushed manner.” from the report
Safe medicines
Medicines were stored, given and recorded safely. Staff gave medicines in the way people preferred and took time to reduce the risk of errors.
“Medicines were safely administered in line with people's prescriptions.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with kindness and their choices were respected. Staff supported privacy, dignity and independence during personal care.
“Staff had received training in supporting people's privacy and dignity.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans recorded people's needs, preferences and health risks. They were reviewed when people's needs changed.
“Care plans reflected people's needs and had been reviewed on a regular basis to ensure they took account of any changes people needed in their care.” from the report
Activities and engagement
The home had a full programme of activities across the week. People told inspectors there was plenty to do.
“There was a full seven-day programme of activities in place.” from the report
Improved management
The provider had acted on the previous inspection findings. Audits, feedback and learning from incidents were being used to improve care.
“At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.” from the report
Access to the garden
minorPeople living with dementia upstairs could not access the outside space independently and relied on staff to help them get to the garden.
“people living with dementia upstairs were reliant on staff to help the access the gardens to enjoy some fresh air.” from the report
- 01How will you help my relative access the garden if they live upstairs and cannot get there independently?
- 02How do you adjust staffing when a resident's dependency or care needs increase?
- 03How will you check that my relative's medicines are given on time and recorded correctly?
- 04How often will my relative's care plan be reviewed, and how will changes be shared with the family?
- 05How can we raise a complaint, and how will you investigate and respond to it?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, including infection prevention and control; inspectors spoke with five people, three relatives and five staff and reviewed six care records plus medicines and management records. This explanation was written from the published report of 17 August 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Priory Court Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control and support for visiting during COVID-19.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection on 09 February 2022. Inspectors looked at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements, and whether staffing pressures linked to COVID-19 were affecting the home.
Inspectors were assured that infection risks were being managed. This included the use of protective equipment, testing, hygiene, social distancing, admissions and the management of possible outbreaks.
People could see friends and relatives in their bedrooms, with masks and hand sanitiser required. New residents who needed to isolate were checked hourly. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Visiting was supported
People could see friends and relatives without restrictions on who could visit. Visitors could spend time in the person's bedroom, with masks and hand sanitiser required.
“People were supported to see their friends and relatives. There were no restrictions on who could visit them, and they were able to visit in the person's bedroom.” from the report
Infection control
Inspectors were assured that the home was managing infection risks across protective equipment, testing, hygiene, admissions and possible outbreaks.
“We were assured that the provider was making sure infection outbreaks can be effectively prevented or managed.” from the report
Support during isolation
People who had to isolate after moving in were checked hourly to help make sure they were safe and happy.
“Where people needed to isolate when they moved into the home the registered manager ensured that staff checked on them hourly to ensure they were safe and happy.” from the report
Safe social contact
The home was gradually allowing activities and visits from a hairdresser, entertainers and religious representatives to support people's well-being.
“The home was cautiously opening up to support people's well-being in a safe way and were now letting in a hairdresser, entertainment and representatives of people's religion.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are staffing pressures managed now, and what happens if COVID-19 or other absences affect staffing?
- 02What are the current visiting arrangements, including mask requirements and the visiting pod?
- 03How are new residents checked and supported if they need to isolate?
- 04How are infection outbreaks prevented and managed now?
- 05How are visiting staff and professionals checked against the home's vaccination requirements?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; it did not assess the other key questions or provide a service rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 February 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Priory Court Care Home
3 rated inspections over 6 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- August 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2019Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- November 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 13 November 2014.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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9 live-in carers within about an hour of Lincolnshire
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
8 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“Martin was more than a carer, he managed the home and became my uncle's best friend, enriching his life during his last few years.”
“Magda was always positive and proactive about trying new things to keep dad busy. She also introduced new ideas for keeping dad healthy.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.