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3-4 Priors Court Cottages, Hermitage, Thatcham.

3-4 Priors Court Cottages in Hermitage, Thatcham is a Residential home specialising in the provision of services relating to accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care, caring for adults under 65 yrs and learning disabilities. The last inspection date here was 28th June 2019

3-4 Priors Court Cottages is managed by Prior's Court Foundation who are also responsible for 3 other locations

Contact Details:

    Address:
      3-4 Priors Court Cottages
      Priors Court Road
      Hermitage
      Thatcham
      RG18 9JT
      United Kingdom
    Telephone:
      01635247202
    Website:

Ratings:

For a guide to the ratings, click here.

Safe: Good
Effective: Good
Caring: Good
Responsive: Good
Well-Led: Good
Overall: Good

Further Details:

Important Dates:

    Last Inspection 2019-06-28
    Last Published 2016-06-15

Local Authority:

    West Berkshire

Link to this page:

    HTML   BBCode

Inspection Reports:

Click the title bar on any of the report introductions below to read the full entry. If there is a PDF icon, click it to download the full report.

16th May 2016 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

.3-4 Prior’s Court Cottages is one of three registered locations providing ongoing support to people on the autistic spectrum who exhibit behaviours which may harm themselves or others. It provides a continuing education service to young adults from 19-25. The service provides support for six young adults with 24 hour staff support.

The provider offers on-site educational and vocational services via the learning centre, attended daily by the young adults, based on individual assessments and needs. Some people also attended off-site supported work placements.

The inspection took place on 16 May 2016 and we gave short notice so staff could prepare people for our visit. This was to minimise the risk of our visit causing anxiety to people due to their needs relating to autism.

The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The service provided safe and effective care to people on the autistic spectrum. People’s support needs were effectively met and they received appropriate and consistent support to manage their own behaviour.

People’s needs were regularly reviewed with the involvement of the person and, where appropriate their relatives. People were encouraged to make day to day decisions and choices about their daily lives.

Relatives were very happy with how the service met people’s needs and were appropriately involved in decision-making about people’s care. They felt their views were sought, listened to and acted upon.

People’s legal rights and freedom were safeguarded by the staff.

The service had a robust recruitment system. This together with regular training and support helped ensure staff were highly skilled and competent to meet people’s needs.

People’s health, dietary and emotional wellbeing needs were well supported. Care plans and related records were detailed, individualised and regularly reviewed.

Staff and relatives felt their views were listened to and that the service was well managed.

The service was well led and effectively monitored and sought to constantly develop and improve. The views of external accreditation and evaluation organisations had also been sought.

23rd April 2014 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

We considered all the evidence we had gathered under the outcomes we inspected. We used the information to answer the five questions we always ask. We spoke with the parents of all of the six people supported at 3-4, Priors Court Cottages.

Is the service caring?

Is the service responsive?

Is the service safe?

Is the service effective?

Is the service well led?

This is a summary of what we found:

Is the service safe?

People received care and support in accordance with agreed care and approved behaviour management plans which were regularly reviewed. Appropriate professionals were involved in reviews as well as family representatives. Incidents were monitored and analysed by the psychology team who revised behaviour management plans in the light of these.

Where people had healthcare needs, the home had sought the advice of external healthcare specialists appropriately to maintain their wellbeing and safety. We saw that staff were aware of the health needs of the individuals they were supporting.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) which applies to care homes. We found that the home had liaised effectively with the local authority DoLS team and had made applications as appropriate. The manager was not aware of a recent Supreme Court judgement relating to ‘deprivation of liberty’ but began immediate discussions with senior management regarding the implications, when notified of this during the inspection.

The parents we spoke with told us the service was well run and met people’s needs. One parent described the home as: “a really fantastic place.” and another told us: “we are grateful he is there.”

Is the service effective?

We saw that people’s needs were well met by a knowledgeable staff team. People’s needs had been effectively met and any changes were referred to management and acted upon. We saw that the people supported enjoyed positive relationships with the staff. The family members we spoke with told us the home met people’s needs effectively and provided them with a fulfilling lifestyle.

The parents we spoke with told us that the home was effective in meeting people’s needs. One said: “she has massively improved.” and another told us: “X’s language had flourished.” since coming to Priors Court.

Is the service caring?

We saw staff working in a caring and respectful way while supporting people. They enabled people to make decisions and choices and understood their individual communication well. We saw that staff gave people the time they needed to process the information they were given to make choices.

The parents we spoke with thought the service was caring. One told us the staff were: “very committed.” And another said: “things are always done in his best interests.”

Is the service responsive?

We saw that people’s care plans and other documents recorded people’s needs and where these had changed. Care files showed that the home responded promptly to any changes and sought appropriate specialist advice where necessary.

Care was provided based on people’s known and indicated wishes and preferences. People had access to meaningful activities and the community.

The parents all felt that they were involved and consulted and that the service responded to people’s needs. One parent said: “they are flexible to meet X’s needs.”

Is the service well-led?

We found that the home provided consistent care to people and was well-managed. There were clear lines of managerial responsibility. A range of audit and monitoring systems were used by the management team to maintain an effective overview of the home’s operation. Action had been taken to address issues where these were identified. The views of people’s relatives were sought and acted upon.

Parents described the service as: “well managed.” and: “good at communication”.

21st May 2013 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

We found that the young people’s needs were clearly identified within detailed care plans, supported by individual risk assessments. Needs were regularly reviewed involving the parents/representatives of the young people. Parents felt they were kept informed of both everyday events and any issues that arose.

The young people had a wide range of social, educational and vocational opportunities and were actively encouraged to make decisions and choices.

Staff had all been trained in a recognised system to support people to manage their own behaviour and any incidents were fully recorded, monitored and analysed by the in-house clinical psychology team.

Parents told us the staff worked effectively with the young people and were happy that they were safe and with the progress they had made.

A detailed induction and training programme was in place though we found some gaps in the training provided. Staff were supported to obtain further qualifications relevant to their work and received regular supervision.

The operation of the service was regularly monitored by management and the board of trustees and a programme of independent monitoring visits was being developed. Parents and staff had been consulted about their views on the home’s operation and complaints had been appropriately addressed and resolved.

 

 

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