A Somerset care home has been awarded a ‘good’ rating overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Weston Mercury: Home manager at Priory Court, Vimal Samuel. Picture: Priory Court Care and Nursing HomeHome manager at Priory Court, Vimal Samuel. Picture: Priory Court Care and Nursing Home (Image: Priory Court Care and Nursing Home)

Priory Court Care and Nursing Home, in Burnham, has been rated ‘good’ in the CQC’s safe, effective, caring and responsive categories, but its leadership has been downgraded to ‘requires improvement’.

Priory Court, in Oxford Street, was inspected on August 4 after the CQC received concerns from other healthcare professionals in relation to medicines, clinical care and effective governance at the care home. As a result, the CQC undertook a focused inspection of Priory Court on its safety, effectiveness and leadership.

The care home’s leadership score was downgraded as a number of records were found to be ‘inaccurate or incomplete’.

The records had no impact on residents, but revealed the governance system at the home was not ‘fully effective’.

People’s relatives gave positive feedback about the quality of care their loved ones received at Priory Court, and the report highlighted the good infection control procedures at the home.

Country Court operations director, Helen Richmond, said: “We are pleased to receive a good rating in our CQC report.

“Covid-19 has obviously presented challenges over the past few months, but our new home manager, Vimal Samuel, and the team have worked hard to continue to provide the best possible care for our residents at Priory Court, which is rightly reflected in the report.”

Priory Court welcomed Vimal in June, who has worked for Country Court – the company that operates Priory Court – for ten years. He has been a home manager at Summer Lane Care and Nursing Home in Weston for five years, and Vimal now leads both homes’ care and nursing teams. Vimal said: “I am passionate about delivering the very highest standards of nursing care and helping residents live life to the full at Priory Court. We will continue to build on the report’s findings so that Priory Court remains a safe and happy home for all those who live with us.”

Priory Court received an overall good rating at its last inspection in January, 2018.