Hall & Prior Health & Aged Care Group: Committed to Excellence in Aged Care

Established 23 years ago, the Hall & Prior Health & Aged Care Group had a modest beginning with a single family-owned nursing home. Down the years, the organisation has shown remarkable focus on providing a comfortable, secure and home-like environment to its residents. This philosophy has resulted in rapid growth and today the family-owned organisation has 20 Nursing Homes across Western Australia and New South Wales.

The business started in 1992 when Michael Hall and Graeme Prior teamed up to set up the first nursing home. Today, Hall & Prior provides care to approximately 1,200 high care residential clients and 66 community clients. The Group’s clientele incudes 120 veterans from the Australian defence forces, 60 homeless people, and 60 aboriginal people.

Hall & Prior enjoys an impeccable reputation for providing quality aged care and its commitment to its clients has resulted in this rapid growth. The organisation’s expansion is the result of word of mouth referrals, web based marketing and the referrals made to it by various consumer and interest groups. In view of the well-known fact that Hall & Prior’s homes provide the highest degree of safety and comfort, doctors, social workers and hospital based teams regularly make referrals to the Group.

Over the years Hall & Prior has kept pace with changing times and the evolving needs of aged care. Graeme Prior, Chief Executive Officer of Hall & Prior Health & Aged Care Group, describes how the role of aged care homes has changed in the last 23 years, “The demands of clients over the years have changed enormously over the years.

“In the 1990’s people would come into care and they would be quite mobile and they were much younger and they had very strong social connections in the community. They would go home and spend time with loved ones on weekends. That has totally and fundamentally changed now.

“The average age of entry is now 90 with four to six complex morbidities, they are immobilized due to disease processes. They don’t go home, they stay with us. They have a very high level of acuity that needs one to one personal care.”

Hall & Prior has stood steadfast on its principles despite the changing nature of the requirements of the industry. From its inception in 1992, each client and resident is treated as a unique individual who deserves respect, dignity, privacy and the opportunity to participate in the decision making process regarding his or her care at the home.

These core principles have stood the test of time and as a result of practising them assiduously, Hall & Prior has grown in size and reputation. As it has gained clients and residents it has expanded the number of aged care homes and the total number of beds.

In view of the great demand for its services, Hall & Prior is currently engaged in three new projects. Of these, two are located in Western Australia and one is in New South Wales. A total investment of $120 million will be made to provide 400 new residential beds.

Award Winning Practices

Hall & Prior operates on the principle that its clients and residents are entitled to the best available professional care, privacy and dignity. Its homes are run in accordance with this philosophy and over the past four years, Hall & Prior has won six Better Practice Awards for projects that have transformed the way residents are cared for.

Notable amongst these are the Mosman Park Aged Care Home’s New Beginnings Program of 2014, and three projects in 2013; Leighton Aged Care Home’s Evac Eddie Project, Rockingham Aged Care Home’s Palliative Care Project and Windsor Park Aged Care Home’s Workplace Harmonisation Program.

Mosman Park’s application for the Better Practice Award described a six step process that has been in use at the home since 2010. A practice of developing an individualised and person centred approach for care and rehabilitation for people with complex physical and mental health issues has met with remarkable success.

In the home’s most spectacular case, a woman with a life-long diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia became a resident in January, 2013, at the age of 69. According to the practice followed at Mosman Park Aged Care Home, a specific program was developed for her after taking into account her physical and mental issues. A rigorous application of the technique developed by the home yielded some very positive and gratifying results.

The woman’s recovery process was aided by the Selby Older Adult Mental Health Service and Fremantle Adult Mental Health Service. The woman’s condition made marked progress till she reached a stage where she could do her own shopping and use public transportation unaided.

Range of Services

Hall & Prior offers the full range of aged care services.

Residential Aged Care facilities are available in all Hall & Prior’s facilities. The aged care homes are extremely well managed and each individual resident is looked after by highly trained and dedicated staff. Registered nurses are available on a 24 hour basis for the care of the residents.

Every Hall & Prior aged care facility follows the highest standards and ensures the safety and security of its residents. Staff treat residents with dignity and respect and show genuine warmth. Above all, they maintain a positive atmosphere which does a world of good for residents.

Leisure activities are organised on a regular basis and include cultural celebrations, art and craft, bus trips, music and entertainment. Residents are given the choice of selecting the activities they wish to participate in.

While it is in the interest of residents to remain as independent as possible, assistance with daily tasks including bathing, dressing and mobility is available. The range of services available at the aged care homes for residents include occupational therapy, speech pathology and physiotherapy. Visits by doctors, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists and other specialists are arranged according to the requirements of the individual residents.

Every Hall & Prior nursing home has single or companion rooms with either an ensuite or shared bathroom. Each of the aged care homes has ample common spaces in which residents may spend time. Every effort is made for the comfort and care of residents and they are permitted to have visitors at any time.

Home Care services are available from Clarence Estate in Albany, Western Australia. This facility is for individuals who require some assistance with day to day tasks but do not wish to relocate as residents in an aged care facility.

Two levels of services are available depending upon individual needs. Low level care needs are provided under the Home Care Level 2 program and high level care needs are catered to by the Home Care Level 4 program. Under both these programs, the needs of the individual are first assessed by a member of an Aged Care Assessment Team.

Upon being assessed as eligible, a care provider would provide assistance with activities like showering, dressing and mobility. Support services such as assistance with housework, shopping, laundry and transport are also provided. In case of need, clinical care including health support services such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy would also be available.

Respite Care is provided by Hall & Prior for care givers. Under this scheme, individuals needing care can stay at a Hall & Prior facility for a maximum of 63 days in year, while the care giver takes a break from her care giving activities or attends to other work.

Palliative Care is provided at Hall & Prior facilities by staff trained in partnership with the Health Department, Cancer Council and local palliative care services.

Dementia Care is available at every Hall & Prior facility. A range of activities are conducted for dementia sufferers by staff specifically trained for the purpose. Specific areas of each Hall & Prior aged care home are earmarked for dementia sufferers and provided with secure pin passcode entry and exits. Two Hall & Prior facilities, Alloa Aged Care Home and Kensington Park Aged Care Home also have secure grounds.

Accreditation

Hall & Prior works closely with the Australian government and each of its homes is fully accredited. In accordance with the existing government stipulations, assessors from the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency have visited each of Hall & Prior’s homes and talked to staff, residents and their families to ascertain whether the required standards have been met. All Hall & Prior homes have met the four required standards and are compliant with each of the 44 outcomes.

Fresh Fields Hospitality Services

Fresh Fields Hospitality Services is a division of Hall & Prior and is engaged in specialised catering and linen for the aged care industry. This diversification by Hall & Prior ensures that fresh and nutritionally balanced meals are made available to residents.

Excellence in Aged Care

Hall & Prior Health & Aged Care Group has built an enviable reputation for itself by single-minded devotion to its basic principles of providing superior aged care services in a caring and compassionate manner. The organisation’s rapid growth and on-going expansion are proof that its philosophy of treating each resident as a unique individual and providing the highest degree of care possible, is valid and will continue to ensure its success.

Graeme Prior has led Hall & Prior to great success by continuously improving the organisation’s processes and services. He says, “In aged care there is no such thing as an expert. You are always learning. We invest heavily in people and their development. We believe in investing for the future. If you don’t invest very large amounts of money you won’t be around in the future. We are in for the long haul.”