Avebury House

On this page

• 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 meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their 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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

We observed people being treated with respect by all staff. Staff knew people’s individual needs. People appeared comfortable with staff and enjoyed their company. Staff communicated well with people making sure information was understood. People’s privacy was upheld by staff who respected people’s personal space and kept sensitive information confidential. Relatives told us staff were kind, respectful and patient. Comments from relatives included, “Yes, since [person] has been here, all staff treat [person] with dignity and respect” and “Staff are lovely, they really seem to care”.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Relatives told us staff treated people as individuals and met their specific needs. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of people they supported and described the individual approach they took to meeting people’s needs. Details of people’s individual needs were reflected in their support plans.

The provider always promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were able to take part in activities to help maintain independence. This included domestic activities such as baking and supporting people to go for walks in the local area.

People were supported to maintain control over how they spent their time and to pursue activities that reflected their personal interests, aspirations and life histories. Staff took a highly individualised approach, working collaboratively with people and those important to them to understand what mattered most and how meaningful occupation could promote independence, confidence and wellbeing.

Leaders documented activity preferences in resident meetings, ensuring every person had a voice. We saw the registered manager had asked for a budget for activities to ensure resources were available to deliver personalised experiences based on people's wishes and goals.

Activity plans were not task-led but were designed around people's preferences, enabling them to make their own choices about when, how and whether they participated. People were encouraged and empowered to lead activities, develop new skills and maintain existing hobbies, rather than being passive recipients of organised events. For example, some people went for walk in the local community, supported peers with shared interests, or even went for a drive in a sports car in line with their wishes.

Staff demonstrated a strong understanding of promoting positive risk-taking, enabling people to make informed decisions and remain in control of their lives. As a result, people experienced a sense of purpose, achievement and belonging, and consistently told us they felt listened to, respected and able to live life in a way that reflected their individual preferences and goals. This culture of empowerment ensured people remained as independent as possible while retaining choice and control over matters that were important to them.

The provider employed activities coordinators who ensured all residents had fair access to activity opportunities. For those people who did not want to engage in activities, coordinators spent 1:1 time with them in their chosen environment.

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.

Relatives said staff responded to people’s needs and made changes to their support plans where necessary. We observed staff responding promptly to people when they requested support. Call bells were answered promptly. The management team regularly checked care records and completed observations to make sure support was provided in a timely way. Records demonstrated staff responded promptly to people, for example to support people during periods of anxiety which caused them distress or when they required staff support.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they received the support they needed to do their job well.

Staff told us managers were open and they were able to share any concerns they had. Staff were confident managers would act on any concerns they raised. Comments from staff included, “The manager is great – they listen, I really hope they stay” and “I feel [the provider] and the home management team do value us and treat us well.”

The management team supported staff with adjustments to their working pattern, for example due to caring commitments or health conditions.