The Avenue Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. Staff showed a genuine interest in people’s lives, and we observed staff and people engaging in meaningful conversations during our visit. There was a relaxed environment where staff showed a clear understanding of each person’s needs. One person said, “The staff are wonderful. I would give then a 10-star rating.” Another person told us, "I like the way I am treated by the manager and owner. I have known some of the staff a long time and they understand my needs.” A relative said, "I am very happy with the standard of care. It feels like home rather than a home. People are happy.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.Staff treated people as individuals and respected their views and choices. People’s care plans included personal histories. This information helped staff gain an understanding of people’s preferences and to identify topics of conversation they were likely to enjoy engaging in. People were supported to engage with religious practices which were important to them and a pastor visited weekly. People’s bedrooms were personalised. One person said, "My room is beautiful it is like being in heaven. I have lots of memories in my room. My memories are my most precious possessions.” Another person said, "I have a new room, and it is beautiful.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People chose how and where to spend their time. Staff encouraged people to use communal spaces and to join in with activities but respected their wishes when they did not want to join in or wished to remain in their rooms. One person told us they did activities at the home and in particular they enjoyed bingo and scrabble. Another person said, “A member of staff accompanies me to a centre (MENCAP) on a Friday and Monday.” People also told us when it was people's birthdays staff made a cake and celebrated with residents and how special occasions such as Easter were celebrated. A further person told us how they enjoy having independence offsite. However, one relative said, “[Person’s name] would like more variation in activities not just bingo and games.” A relative had shared a concern where their family member had not been in receipt of the full one to one care provision, this had been highlighted to the management team and appropriate action had been taken. We saw evidence the person was now in receipt of their fully funded hours. We discussed one to one hours and activities with the manager. There was an activities coordinator in post 4 days a week. Part of their role was working with those individuals who were allocated one to one hours. We could see people were now receiving this and it was being documented. In relation to activities the manager told us they would be working alongside the activities person to enhance activities and opportunities for people. During our onsite visit the activities board was blank. This has since been reintroduced of which we have seen evidence of.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Staff were attentive and responded promptly to people’s needs. For example, we observed staff were responsive when a person needed assistance during mealtime. People and relatives confirmed staff were responsive to any changes in needs. A relative said, “[Person’s name] needs are increasing, and the home has adapted to that.” Another relative said, "They (staff) have responded to my relative’s change of needs and moved them to a downstairs room.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff spoke positively about the manager and the providers. They told us they were approachable, supportive and always available if you needed them. One staff member said, “Management team are very helpful, I’ve seen good changes since the new manager has been in post.” Staff described The Avenue as a happy and supportive place to work. One staff member said, “There is nothing about the job I don’t like. I enjoy every part of it.” Another staff member described how they would recommend the service and said, “Staff are a really good, caring team who treat each other well and focus on the people living here.” Staff were recognised for demonstrating care and support delivered and their commitment to the provider’s values. This was done by employer of the month which was chosen by the people using the service.