Archived: Priory Highfields

Updated 3 January 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was conducted by one inspector.

Service and service type

Priory Highfields is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and commissioning teams. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met all of the people living at the home. We were unable to hold conversations with people due to their complex needs, so we observed how staff interacted with people. We spoke with four support workers, the deputy manager and the registered manager. We looked at two people’s care records, medicines records, details of incidents involving positive behaviour support, health and safety and quality assurance records. We also looked at recruitment records for two staff members.

After the inspection

As the people living at the home were not able to tell us verbally about their experiences, we spoke with two relatives.

Updated 3 January 2020

About the service

Priory Highfields is a residential care home providing personal care to 8 younger adults with learning disabilities and autism at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 8 people. Priory Highfields accommodates 8 people in three separate buildings. The service also provides a day service for one person.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Although people were unable to tell us about their experience of living at the home, we observed their interactions with staff. We found people were confident to approach staff for support and appeared relaxed around them. Relatives told us they were confident their family members were safe. Staff knew how to identify and report concerns relating to people’s safety. Risks were assessed and managed to reduce the risk of harm. People received support to take their medicines safely and systems used for the management of medicines were safe. Staff were available to meet people’s care and support needs and to spend time away from the home taking part in hobbies or interests.

Relatives and staff felt the service was well managed. Staff told us they felt the registered manager was approachable and they felt valued. People, relatives and staff were given opportunities to share their views about the service. The registered and deputy manager carried out regular auditing to ensure the quality of care provided was good. There was a culture of continuous learning, which was driven by the management team.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 17 January 2018).

Why we inspected

To assure ourselves the service was meeting people’s needs, that staff had the necessary skills and experience and the management processes were effective we completed a focused inspection. We reviewed the key questions of Safe and Well Led only.

We reviewed the information we held about the service. No areas of concern were identified in the other Key Questions. We therefore did not inspect them. Ratings from previous comprehensive inspections for those Key Questions were used in calculating the overall rating at this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Priory Highfields on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.