Archived: Avis House

Updated 24 August 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 21 June 2016 and was carried out by one inspector. The inspection was unannounced.

We reviewed information we held about the home including statutory notifications which had been sent to us. Statutory notifications include information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law. We also checked information which had been sent to us by other agencies. We requested information about the homes from the local authority and Healthwatch. The local authority has responsibility for funding people who used the service and monitoring its quality. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion, which promotes the views and experiences of people who use health and social care.

During our inspection we spent time with people in the communal areas of the home and spoke with one person living at the home. We spoke with the manager, one senior staff member and three care workers. We also spoke with two visiting health professionals. We spoke with one relative of a person who had previously lived at the home and a provider representative on the telephone.

We looked at two people's care records and two people’s health action plans, which showed how staff cared for people so they stayed well. We looked at two records about the administration of medicines. We looked at three staff member’s recruitment files. Staff training records and confirmation that six nurses were registered to practice were not available during the inspection. These were sent to us after the inspection, as requested. We also looked at information about how the manager monitored the quality of the service provided and the actions they took to develop the service further.

Updated 24 August 2016

The inspection took place on 21 June 2016 and was unannounced. Avis House provides accommodation for up to six people. There were two people living at the home at the time of our inspection. People had their own rooms and the use of a number of communal areas including a lounge, dining room and kitchen, a sensory room and garden areas.

We spent time with people who lived at the home and spoke with one person about their life at the home. The examples we have given are therefore brief because we respect people’s right to confidentiality.

There had not been a registered manager in post since April 2015. A manager had been in post since June 2015 and was in the process of becoming registered with CQC at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Risks to people's safety were understood by staff and people benefited from receiving care which took into account their safety needs. There were enough staff to care for people and staff understood what actions to take if they had any concerns for people's wellbeing or safety. People were supported to take their medicines so they would remain well.

People were supported by staff who used their skills and knowledge so people’s health and well-being would be promoted. People were encouraged to make their own choices about what they would like to eat and drink, and often enjoyed going out for meals. Where people required support from staff so they had enough nutrition this was provided so people would enjoy good health. People were supported to access health services and staff followed the advice given by health professionals so they would receive the care they needed as their health needs changed. Staff worked with other organisations so people's rights to make decisions and their freedoms were protected

Caring relationships had been built between people and staff. People were encouraged by staff to make their own choices about their day to day care. People enjoyed spending time with staff and the manager and were given encouragement and reassurance when they needed it. People's right to dignity and privacy was understood and acted upon by staff.

The manager and staff knew people’s preferences and well. Staff planned people’s care in ways which took into account the ways they liked their care to be given. Staff took action when people's needs changed. People and their relatives had not needed to raise any complaints about the service, but were confident action would be taken if complaints were raised.

Staff understood what was expected of them and were supported by the manager and senior staff to care for people. There was open communication between people, the manager, relatives and staff. Regular checks were undertaken on the quality of the care by the manager and provider. Actions were taken to further develop people’s experience of living at the home.