Avida Supported Living

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred 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.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

People told us staff concentrated on what was important to them and this meant they enjoyed the lives they lived. Relatives were positive about the culture of the service and how this focused on their family member’s needs. One relative told us, “I can’t fault the service. [Person’s name] is well looked after. They are talking and putting on weight and their soft skills are developing, they are making good progress.” A health and social care professional said of the culture of the service, “They are a person-centred service and focus on [people] and have a holistic approach, they deal with each person’s different aspects and needs.”

Staff told us the ways they were supported and guided to care for people helped to ensure people’s needs were met. One staff member said, “[Registered manager] wants us to give the best to them, as we would want to be cared for ourselves. There's to be no compromise on how you support them.” The registered manager told us, “I want [people] to live life to the full. This is the only life they have. Staff need to think about their own lives too. It’s about ensuring [people] and staff meet their potential. I am not the employer, [people] are the employers and they need to be respected.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

People and staff told us they saw the registered manager and senior staff regularly. Relatives were positive about their access to senior staff and their knowledge of their family members and other local services available to support them.

Staff told us they could promptly obtain good advice from the registered manager and senor staff, to benefit people receiving care. Staff, relatives and other health and social care professionals told us senior staff had an open approach and worked proactively with them to find solutions to meet people’s individual care needs.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Staff knew how to raise concerns and were confident they would be listened to. The management team were committed to providing good care to people and supporting staff to do this. They worked with people, relatives, staff and other health and social care professionals to instil an approach which encouraged all parties to raise any concerns so these could be addressed. Staff were open about lessons learnt and actions taken to prevent recurrence. They understood their responsibility to be open and honest if something had gone wrong.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The service had a diverse staff team which was multicultural and was reflective of the backgrounds and languages of the people they supported. Staff said they were treated fairly and were encouraged to express and celebrate their own unique cultures. One staff member said, “We book time off for religious festivals, the [registered] manager always supports us and is understanding of everything” There were processes to ensure staff were treated fairly and equally and their rights were upheld.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

People told us the service was managed well because they lived the lives they wanted to live. Relatives told us they felt the service was run well because their family members were happy and fulfilled. One relative said, “They [staff] are absolutely brilliant, [person’s name] has never been so happy, they enjoy life now. [Registered manger] booked them a holiday. [Person’s name] was so excited about it. They are living a good life. Staff know how to look after them, we could not wish for better.”

The registered manager completed a wide range of audits to monitor the safety and quality of the service and to ensure the service met people’s needs. These included in relation to accidents and incidents, infection prevention and control, medication, dignity and care planning. In addition, spot checks were undertaken on staff practice and to ensure people controlled their care and knew how to raise any concerns. There were regular, meaningful reviews of the provider’s policies, which included checking of staff understanding of the policies and processes in place.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

Relatives were treated as partners in their family members care. Relatives told us they were treated with respect and included as much as they and their family members wished to be in their lives. Other health and social care professionals were very positive about the way staff worked with them to secure good outcomes for people and to provide consistent care across services. One health and social care professional said, “Working with Avida is a good collaborative experience, progress to the person is really nice to see, communication is great.” Another health and social care professional told us, “[Staff] have been very honest and open. They are very receptive to suggestions to improve the environment for [person’s name] and also for staff. Multi-disciplinary meeting feedback we’ve received has also reflected this. They have shown great tenacity. [Registered manger and deputy] have worked really well with us, they have put in a lot of extra hours, they change things, tweak things really well to work for [person’s name].”

The registered manager attended meetings with other organisations including commissioners of services, to inform development of the service.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

There were systems in place to monitor quality of the service and inform learning and improvements. Health and social care professionals told us staff consistently reflected on people’s individual needs and used this to inform on care practice and developments at the service. The registered manager had regular meetings with senior staff to review audit findings. This approach ensured senior staff had full oversight of the service and identified any areas for improvement. The management team were open and transparent and engaged positively during the inspection, welcomed feedback, and were committed to continuously learn and improve care.