Avila House

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

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 made sure people’s care was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing, and communication needs with them.

People were assessed by social services and by staff before they came to live at Avila House. An assessment of people’s care and support needs, and whether these could be met, would be completed. People and their families were involved in the drawing up of care plans. Care and support were delivered based on people’s needs and on the funding allocated by the local authority. People’s preferred method of communication was acknowledged and met.

Staff completed training in equality and diversity to ensure people’s protected characteristics were met. A staff member said, “We have different nationalities of staff – from Nigeria, Zimbabwe and British. We have different diets. We have developed tolerance with people and their understanding. Staff take turns to have breaks, so it won’t impede on anyone.”

The provider planned and delivered people’s care with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

People were fully involved in every aspect of their care and in reviewing their care plans; their independence was promoted. One person said,” Staff treat me as if I’m a good mate and we have good conversations. I look forward to their visits.”

Various tools were used to identify people’s needs such as Waterlow which assesses people’s risk of developing pressure ulcers. The registered manager said, “We base care plans on looking at the person in terms of getting the right support, getting a job, meal preparation, empowering them to live their best life and also ensuring the staff are fully trained to match the people, because everyone is different.”

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only need to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

When people were admitted to hospital, information went with them so healthcare professionals could have information about the person they would be caring for. Hospital passports provide essential information about a person’s healthcare needs, communication preferences and personal preferences. This document ensures people’s needs are understood and met during a hospital stay or appointment. Hospital passports we reviewed were personalised and informative. One person told us, “I completed the passport with staff. I didn’t really see the point of it because I am independent and able to tell the hospital staff about my needs and wishes.”

A staff member said, “We work with a range of professionals like GPs, district nurses, psychologists and speech and language therapists.”

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice, and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

One person explained how they managed their diabetes well and had monthly conversations with their diabetic nurse. They told us they had alarms on their mobile phone to remind them when to take their medicines. This person was also being supported to lose weight and to adopt a healthy diet.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

People’s care and support needs were reviewed, and their healthcare needs were monitored. Where needed, referrals were made to healthcare specialists, such as to the NHS bladder and bowel service for advice and guidance on continence issues and bowel management. People had access to dentists and podiatrists to support their dental and chiropody needs. This type of support promoted people’s independence.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care.

We observed people were routinely asked for their consent before staff delivered any care. Everyone was able to communicate their consent verbally. People’s capacity to make specific decisions had been assessed; all had capacity. Staff completed training on the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). One staff member said, “Under the MCA, everyone has capacity, and we don’t want to impede people’s choices or force anything on them. It’s about supporting people to live their lives, not choosing for them.”

People could be supported with an advocate if they wished. Most people had the support of their relatives or friends to support them in decision-making.