Avant Healthcare Services ltd

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. At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection the rating has remained good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care. There was a positive culture at the service. People using the service, their representatives and staff felt valued and would recommend the agency to others. There was a clear management structure and stakeholders felt managers were knowledgeable and committed to improving the service. The provider worked in partnership with others to learn and develop best practice. There were appropriate systems for monitoring and improving the quality of the service. We did not assess all the quality statements within this key question. We did not identify concerns relating to these areas which we judged as being met at our last inspection.

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.

There was a positive culture at the service. There were clear visions and values. Staff and people using the service were aware of these. The management team had discussions with staff about these and asked them to contribute their ideas. Staff felt valued and listened to. They told us they would recommend the agency as a place to work and to care for a loved one. Some of their comments included, ‘’I treat [people using the service] like my own family’’, ‘’It is a nice place to work’’ and ‘’I would definitely recommend them.’’ People using the service and their families told us they would also recommend the agency. One person told us, ‘’I would like to thank them for the difference they have made to my life.’’ The management team were visible in the service, approachable and took a genuine interest in what people, staff, family, advocates and other professionals had to say.

There was a clear management structure at the service. The registered manager was supported by a team of managerial staff. Staff and people using the service knew who to speak with and who was responsible for different aspects of the service. The management team undertook a range of additional training and coaching to develop their skills and knowledge. Feedback about the managers was positive and people felt the service was well led. An external professional told us, ‘’[Branch manager] is excellent and responsive , transparent, open and honest.’’

There were systems to enable staff and others to speak up if they had concerns. Staff confirmed they knew what to do and felt confident raising concerns. There were opportunities for staff to share these concerns anonymously. We saw the provider had responded appropriately when staff or others spoke up.

There were effective systems for monitoring and improving the quality of the service. These included a range of different audits and checks. The agency analysed the outcome of audits and took action to make improvements when needed. The provider consulted staff through regular meetings, supervisions and appraisals to ask for their feedback and give them direction. They also carried out spot checks to observe staff providing care. The agency asked people using the service and their relatives for feedback through meetings, phone call monitoring, reviews and surveys. We saw the provider had responded to feedback from others through these processes, as well as looking at complaints, compliments and things that had gone wrong. There were clear systems to learn from these and to monitor improvements and outcomes.

The provider had systems for learning and developing the service. They worked in partnership with other professionals and groups. They shared learning from their own experiences and those of others. They were proactive in developing staff knowledge, giving them guidance and additional information about different areas of health and social care. The management team helped staff to understand and be involved in celebrations and learning about different cultures, healthcare conditions and ways of working. There were a range of policies and procedures. These reflected legislation and good practice guidance. They were regularly reviewed and updated. Staff were aware of these.