Avo Care Limited

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 newly registered 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 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service 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 registered manager and staff were committed to providing the best care. The registered manager ethos was to, “Deliver holistic, high quality, person-centred care,” and to continue to work in collaboration with people, their family and health care professionals. This ethos was shared throughout the staff team. Policies and procedures within the service underpinned staff practice.

The service 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. We received positive feedback about the leadership of the service. People were supported by staff and a service where the leadership was inclusive and delivered with integrity. The registered manager consistently provided excellent leadership which had instilled confidence and compassion in the staff team. A staff member said, “I feel confident in their leadership. They are approachable and supportive.” A person said, “It is run very well, and the manager is very capable.”

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People were provided with various ways to give their views on the service. They told us they were happy to speak with staff or the registered manager to address any concerns. Staff gave examples of when a concern was listened to and acted on. A person told us, “If I need to raise an issue I speak to the registered manager and I know they will support me and listen, but I have never needed to.” The service had a policy for raising concerns and detailed how to report a concern within the service and to external organisations.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Staff felt accepted and valued by the service. Equality, diversity and inclusion underpinned all policies and procedures. Staff preferences and views were listened to. The registered manager told us about the importance of being an inclusive leader.

The service did not always have clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability or good governance. They did not always act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, or share this securely with others when appropriate. There were a range of audits, analysis and checks within the service, to check the safety and quality. Audits were completed on a regular basis. However, governance systems were not consistently operating effectively and had not always identified the shortfalls. For example, the provider did not have effective oversight of essential training, and this meant staff did not always have in date training relevant to people’s needs.Audits were not fully completed and there were no plans or actions identified from the audits. The provider responded immediately to the concerns raised and said they understood the importance of a full and complete audit.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They share information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. People were supported by a service which identified their key professionals and ensured open and effective communication channels.The registered manager understood the importance of working collaboratively with external professionals to ensure continuity of care for people. The service had built links with other care providers and partners, and these services were working effectively together.

The service 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 contribute to safe, effective practice and research. The provider told us about the ways in which they were continually looking to improve the service. This included being proactive in identifying shortfalls in their audit process. The registered manager told us about introducing new technology systems to the service, this included planned improvements to care plans, and recruitment. The provider had a clear direction for the service and Avo Care’s future.