Leamington Spa care home rated outstanding

A care home in Leamington Spa has received the seal of approval from a national independent care regulator.

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) report gave Care UK’s Priors House, on Old Milverton Lane, an overall ’Outstanding’ rating, following an unannounced inspection. 

The home has been rated outstanding in the category of being well-led and responsive, and good in safety, caring and effectiveness.

The report illustrated the high quality of care and comforting environment created by team members, who inspectors found continually demonstrated Care UK’s caring values and recognised the importance of resident’s relationships.

The Home Manager, Francine Summers, was praised for creating “an incredibly supportive, no blame and inclusive culture” which empowers team members to provide person-centred care that is “dedicated to helping people live a good quality life”. 

This positive observation was reinforced by a resident’s relative, who told inspectors: “The staff are like our brothers and sisters, we are a family” and another adding: “They are like our friends… and are patient and loving.”

Inspectors also praised how team members were empowered and supported through the training and guidance they received from management to deliver care to residents which supported their safety and wellbeing. Inspectors highlighted how team members receive regular training to ensure their skills were maintained and reflected current best practice guidance. This training has led to an environment where inspectors found team members “consistently ensured risks to people were reduced by maintaining a safe environment”. 

The report went on to highlight how the team at Priors House always prioritise the need to preserve residents’ independence and privacy. Inspectors praised how one resident was introduced to other people in the home of the same cultural background as them. A team member told inspectors, "[Person's] family had said they had not seen their dad smile for a long time, until coming here."

During mealtimes, inspectors saw how residents were supported to eat and drink according to their wishes, tastes and health conditions. A resident told them: "Food is amazing, just ask and you get." Where residents needed assistance eating, residents observed a supportive team member help a resident in an unhurried manner, using verbal and physical prompts to maintain the resident’s attention and encourage them to eat more. 

Francine Summers, Home Manager at Priors House, said: “It's fantastic to read the positive feedback from the CQC inspectors, and to be rated as an Outstanding home. It’s a true testament to the team's passion and devotion to providing the highest standard of care to ensure residents live truly fulling lives.

"I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone at Priors House for their commitment, especially over the past few years. I appreciate all they do to make our care home such a wonderful place for residents to live and such a great place to work.

“I’m looking forward to celebrating such a fantastic result with residents and the team and building on our success in the future.”

To assess standards at Priors House, the Care Quality Commission inspectors spoke with team members, residents, and their visiting relatives on the day of inspection. They also reviewed the records and procedures in place at the care home.

Priors House, which is rated ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC, is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the home has its very own cinema and hair salon, and there is plenty of space – both indoors and out – for relaxation and recreation.