Prior Bank House

What families say

What stands out is how residents themselves feel about living here. When someone who's been there for years considers it their own home, that speaks volumes about the atmosphere. The staff bring warmth to their work, treating each person with genuine care.

Based on 2 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth72
• Compassion & dignity72
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement68
• Food quality68
• Healthcare70
• Management & leadership72
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2020-02-20 · Report published 2020-02-20 · Inspected 2 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for Safe. This covers how the home manages risks to residents, staffing levels, medicines, and infection control. No specific concerns were flagged in the available report text. A Good in this domain means inspectors were satisfied that systems to protect your parent from harm were functioning. The home is registered for 32 beds, and adequate staffing for that size is typically a factor in achieving Good.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good for safety is reassuring, but the detail that matters most to families u2014 night staffing ratios, how falls are logged and reviewed, and how much the home relies on agency staff u2014 is not available in the published extract. Research consistently shows that safety is most at risk overnight and during handovers, when permanent staff numbers are lowest. For a 32-bed home with a dementia specialism, you should expect at least two staff on at night. Anchor Hanover as a provider has group-wide governance processes, which can support consistency, but local delivery still depends on the individual home's permanent team. Ask directly about agency usage u2014 high agency reliance is one of the clearest warning signs in dementia care settings.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett University rapid evidence review (2026) found that night-time staffing ratios are among the strongest predictors of safety incidents in dementia care, and that agency staff unfamiliar with individual residents are disproportionately involved in avoidable incidents.","watch_out":"Ask the manager: how many permanent staff are on the dementia unit overnight on a typical weeknight, and what percentage of shifts in the last three months were covered by agency staff?"}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for Effective. This domain covers whether staff have the right training, whether care plans are up to date and personalised, whether residents have good access to healthcare professionals, and whether nutrition and hydration are well managed. No specific concerns were raised in the available text. The home lists Dementia as a registered specialism, which means it is expected to demonstrate dementia-specific practice u2014 and Good in Effective suggests inspectors were satisfied with what they found.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effective care in a dementia setting means more than ticking training boxes. The Good Practice evidence base is clear that care plans need to function as living documents u2014 updated when your parent's condition changes, not just annually. For families, the most important questions here are whether the home's staff actually know your parent as an individual and whether their preferences, history, and communication style are documented and acted on. A dementia specialism also implies the home should be able to demonstrate specific training content u2014 not just awareness-level courses. Anchor Hanover typically provides structured dementia training across its homes, but ask what this looks like in practice at this specific location.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett and IFF rapid evidence review (2026) found that care plan quality u2014 specifically whether plans reflect individual life history and are reviewed responsively rather than on fixed schedules u2014 is one of the strongest differentiators between homes rated Good and those rated Outstanding for effectiveness.","watch_out":"Ask to see an example of how a care plan is updated when a resident's needs change u2014 specifically, who leads that review, whether families are invited to contribute, and how quickly it happens after a health event."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for Caring u2014 the domain that most directly reflects whether staff treat your parent with warmth, dignity, and genuine respect. This domain is weighted most heavily in DCC family review data, with staff warmth (57.3%) and compassion and dignity (55.2%) being the two themes families mention most when rating care homes positively. No specific inspector observations or resident quotes are available in the published extract, which limits the confidence with which specific practices can be confirmed. A Good rating tells you inspectors saw no failures in care interactions.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"When families leave positive reviews about care homes, warmth and kindness account for more than half of what they mention. The absence of specific quotes or observations in this report does not mean these qualities are absent u2014 it means we cannot independently verify them from the inspection alone. When you visit, watch for the small things: whether staff use your parent's preferred name without being prompted, whether interactions in corridors feel rushed or relaxed, and how staff respond when a resident appears distressed or confused. These moments tell you more about the care culture than any policy document. Good Practice evidence emphasises that non-verbal communication matters enormously in advanced dementia u2014 notice whether staff make eye contact, get to the resident's level, and speak calmly even when busy.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research rapid evidence review (2026) found that person-centred care in dementia requires staff to know each individual's life history, preferences, and non-verbal communication patterns u2014 and that homes where this knowledge is genuinely embedded in daily practice show significantly better resident wellbeing outcomes than those where it exists only in written care plans.","watch_out":"On your first visit, note what name staff use when they greet your parent u2014 do they ask what name they prefer, and does every member of staff you encounter know it? This simple test reveals whether person-centred care is cultural or just policy."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for Responsive. This domain covers whether the home provides activities and engagement that are genuinely meaningful to individuals, whether it responds to complaints effectively, and whether end-of-life care is planned thoughtfully. For a 32-bed home with a dementia specialism, responsiveness also includes whether residents who can no longer participate in group activities still receive meaningful one-to-one engagement. No specific examples of activities, individual engagement, or complaints handling are available in the published extract.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"For families choosing a home for a parent with dementia, 'responsive' often means: will my mum still have a life here? A Good rating suggests inspectors were satisfied, but the evidence base is clear that group activities alone are insufficient for people in the mid-to-late stages of dementia. The homes that score highest in family satisfaction data are those where staff find ways to engage individuals u2014 a favourite music playlist during personal care, folding laundry together, looking through a memory book u2014 rather than relying solely on structured group sessions. With 32 beds and a dementia specialism, ask how the home supports residents who become withdrawn or agitated, and whether there is a dedicated activities coordinator or whether this responsibility falls to care staff alongside their other duties.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett and IFF evidence review (2026) found that Montessori-based and everyday task-based activities u2014 cooking, gardening, folding u2014 produce measurably better engagement and reduced agitation in people with dementia compared with passive group activities, and that one-to-one engagement is particularly important for residents in advanced stages.","watch_out":"Ask whether there is a dedicated activities coordinator, what their hours are, and what happens to individual engagement on days when they are not on shift u2014 particularly evenings and weekends."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Not yet rated

  {"found":"The inspection awarded a Good rating for Well-led, and the report names Mrs Simone Clover as Registered Manager and Mr Daniel Ryan as Nominated Individual. The home is operated by Anchor Hanover Group, one of the UK's largest not-for-profit care providers. A Good in Well-led means inspectors were satisfied that the home has effective governance, that staff feel supported, and that the home acts on learning from incidents and feedback. No specific examples of leadership actions, staff culture, or quality improvement are available in the published extract.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Families consistently underestimate the importance of management quality u2014 but the evidence is clear that the stability and visible presence of a good manager is one of the strongest predictors of sustained care quality. Anchor Hanover's group infrastructure can provide training, policies, and audit support, but what matters in practice is whether the local manager is genuinely present on the floor, whether staff feel able to raise concerns, and whether the culture is one of openness or defensiveness. Ask how long Mrs Clover has been in post u2014 manager tenure is a strong indicator; homes with frequent manager changes often show quality instability even when individual inspections return Good ratings. Communication with families is also a leadership issue: ask how the home keeps you informed as your parent's needs change, not just in a crisis.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review (2026) found that manager tenure and visible floor presence are among the most consistent predictors of care quality trajectory u2014 homes with stable, present managers are significantly more likely to maintain or improve their ratings over successive inspections.","watch_out":"Ask Mrs Clover directly how long she has been managing this home, and ask whether the staff team is currently fully staffed or carrying vacancies u2014 a manager's honest answer to these questions tells you as much about leadership culture as any formal inspection finding."}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The team specialises in caring for people over 65, with particular experience supporting those living with dementia.. Gaps or open questions remain on For families navigating dementia care, finding somewhere that feels right is crucial. The team here understands the importance of creating a sense of belonging and stability. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.