HF Trust - Avon DCA

Updated 16 May 2024

Date of assessment to 22nd May to 24th June 2024. HF Trust – Avon DCA is a supported living service which is registered with the Care Quality Commission [CQC] to provide personal care and support to people with a learning disability or autism. It provides support to people living in 3 separate properties in Bristol and Bath. The properties have some communal spaces, and people have their own self-contained flats. At the time of our inspection, 29 people were receiving support from the service in the 3 properties, but only 11 received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. CQC does not regulate the premises used for supported living as people’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements for this type of adult social care setting. We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it. This assessment was prompted by information of concern CQC received about the service. We assessed most of the quality statements in the safe and well led key questions. We requested information from the provider and visited people’s homes on 11th, 13th and 18th June 2024. We found HF Trust – Avon DCA continued to provide a good service in the areas we assessed. The overall rating for the service remains good.

Updated 16 May 2024

We spoke with people who lived at each of the services and contacted people’s relatives by telephone, with consent. We received positive feedback from people who lived at the service, and relatives were satisfied overall. People we met at each of the services told us they felt safe living there and they appeared comfortable around staff. People told us they knew staff well. People knew the managers and felt able to raise concerns if they needed to. People and relatives were encouraged to give feedback about their experience of the service. The feedback in surveys and meetings was positive. It was recognised that there had been changes in the management structures at the service in recent months. There were now managers in each service, and people preferred this. People were supported to make choices and decisions, and relatives were involved as appropriate. We saw staff listening to people, offering choice and giving them time to respond. People had access to meaningful activities, the local community and contact with people who were important to them.