Avon House Rest Home - Balcombe

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• 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 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.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. People consistently spoke positively about the staff. A person told us, “They are wonderful. They are caring.”

People told us they felt comfortable around staff, and we observed people looking relaxed and at ease in their presence. We observed staff approaching people calmly and respectfully, using a gentle, reassuring tone of voice and taking time to engage with people at their own pace. During one interaction, we observed a staff member quietly extended their hand towards a person who instinctively reached out, gently held it with both hands, rested it against their cheek and exchanged a warm smile with the staff member. This unspoken interaction reflected the familiarity, trust and caring relationship that had developed between the staff member and the person. Similar interactions were observed throughout the inspection that demonstrated the compassionate way staff supported people in their daily lives.

A relative told us, “I would say that the level of kindness is exceptional, and to me that's the most important thing. The ladies are kind and they really care about their residents and they're very patient.”

The provider treated people as individuals by tailoring care and support to reflect their needs, preferences and routines. People told us staff took time to understand what mattered to them and supported them to make meaningful choices about their daily lives, including their meals, clothing and routines. A relative told us, “I think they all treat her as a person.”

We also heard how staff made people feel valued and welcomed. Another relative described how staff always gave their family member a warm welcome when they returned to the service after spending time with family, and said, “They all swarm around her when she returns to the home. It's like a homecoming.”

This personalised approach helped people feel valued, respected and recognised as individuals, promoting a genuine sense of belonging.

The provider promoted people`s independence by supporting them to make choices and retain control over their daily lives. We observed staff offering people choices throughout the day, including whether to take part in activities, spend time in communal areas or remain in the privacy of their own rooms. People's decisions were respected without pressure, enabling them to make choices that reflected their preferences and routines.

A relative told us staff consistently supported their family member`s independence and respected their choices. They explained the person was supported to go for walks, because they enjoyed them and continued to choose how they spent their day, including what they read, watched on television and who they spent their time with.

Another relative told us,“Mum's a bit of a performer. So, they have a piano player that goes around once a week, and Mum stands up and sings all afternoon.”

This approach helped people maintain their independence, exercise choice, and remain in control of the aspects of daily life that mattered most to them.

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. For example, when staff identified that a person had begun to experience periods of distress, they promptly introduced a monitoring tool to help identify patterns and possible triggers. They worked closely with the person, monitoring for potential physical causes, including signs of infection and other changes in health. Staff recognised the times when the person was more likely to become distressed and provided timely reassurance and personalised support to help de-escalate the situation before it escalated further. This helped staff better understand the person's needs and respond consistently to reduce episodes of distress. As a result, the person was observed to be calmer, settled and receptive to support.

We observed staff responding proactively to people`s requests for support and people had access to call bells to summon assistance when needed. A person told us, “There is a call bell you can press. You can call for help anytime if you want it. I’ve had no complaint with that.”

Access to call bells, together with timely responses from staff helped people feel reassured, reduced anxiety, promoted comfort and well-being.

The provider promoted staff wellbeing and supported staff to develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide person-centred care. Practical measures, including subsidised on-site accommodation and support with professional development, demonstrated the provider`s commitment to recruiting, supporting and retaining staff. Where appropriate, support with visa applications was also available. A leader described the service as, “a safe haven for staff", reflecting their commitment to creating a supportive working environment. Staff spoke positively about the support they received from leaders. A staff member told us, “[Name] supports me in my role. It`s lovely working here. We get a lot of support from [Name].”

Staff wellbeing was monitored through regular supervision, appraisal and ongoing support from managers. Additional group supervisions sessions enabled staff to reflect on practice, with guidance to complete detailed, person-centred records.