Avondale Care Home

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.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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.

The service had a positive culture, demonstrated by staff and leaders who were passionate and innovative in ensuring a shared vision and strategy for delivering high-quality care.

Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service. One staff member said, “I am supported and treated well.” Another told us, “I get a lot of support from our managers. Senior staff are also very accepting, no push back. Through asking questions at people’s committee meetings, they have been very supportive at encouraging new suggestions.”

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.

Staff consistently told us how they felt supported in their roles and how they found the manager approachable, open, and honest. Staff told us the communication systems and team working within the service were robust and effective. Staff told us they had daily briefings and meetings to keep up to date on changes to people’s care needs.

One staff member said, “I think managers listen and I think they provide solutions. It’s very positive.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Policies were in place to support this culture.

Regular meetings were held with staff, including supervision, handovers, and briefings. Staff told us they felt confident in speaking up to raise issues or concerns.

One staff member said, “I can, and do speak out. It is safe to do so.” Another commented, ”I would feel confident to speak to the manager if I was really unhappy.”

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 manager demonstrated how they valued staff by working closely with them to understand staff’s individual needs and by making reasonable adjustments to accommodate and support them in their work.Staff told us where adjustments were made to their working week to support them.

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.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the service. These systems flagged concerns such as missed medicines, accidents and incidents. For example, a falls analysis was conducted, and conclusions were used to help mitigate the risk of falls in the home. Measures taken included raising staff awareness of falls risk areas, increased monitoring of those at risk and medicines reviews.

Audit actions plans were in place, and the registered manager was supported by senior managers who monitored progress with actions.

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.

The provider had built links with community services and healthcare services such as GPs, physiotherapist, dentist, podiatrist and optician, as needed.

Staff spoke about partnership working. One staff member said, “The service is collaborating closely with the mental health team for a number of residents [people] who display distressed behaviours. This is part of our positive behaviour support approach.”

Another staff member spoke of local community links. They said, “Term time we have 10 students at a time from the nearby primary school who read books to residents [people]. We have a blue light breakfast for emergency services every Wednesday morning. Some people will speak with the emergency staff who come to these. We also host other events that families and friends are invited to attend. Recently had a visit from [local organisation] during VE day.”

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. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The provider documented learning within incidents and accidents and took direct action to support people and keep them safe. Staff felt they received feedback about incidents in a timely manner.

One staff member commented, “We have been working with the team to develop the dementia community. Growing the skill set within the team and being supported with implementing MCA and planning DoLS.”