Avalon

Updated 23 May 2019

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

Inspection team:

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type: Avalon is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection: The inspection was unannounced.

What we did:

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about, such as abuse; and we sought feedback from the local authority. Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is key information providers are required to send us about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

Because people using the service were not able to verbally express their views to us, we observed interactions between staff and people. Following our visit to the service we spoke with two relatives on the telephone to ask their views.

We spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, and two support workers.

We reviewed a range of records about people's care and how the service was managed. This included review of two people's care records, medicines administration records, policies, staff recruitment and training. We also reviewed the system for recording accidents, incidents and quality assurance audits the management team had completed.

Updated 23 May 2019

About the service:

Avalon is one of several family run care homes across Essex. This service provides personal care and accommodation for up to four young people who have a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were four people living at the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were supported in a homely environment where the culture of the service was positive, enabling and inclusive. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The registered manager had clear aims and objectives for the service. There was ongoing work to embed the values of providing personalised care, promoting independence, choice, rights and empowerment. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Whilst the provider visited the service on a regular basis they did not carry out any formal, recorded, quality and safety monitoring in line with their own policy and procedural guidance. We recommended the provider ensure quality and safety monitoring visits are formally recorded in line with their policy.

People received care and support in line with the values that underpin the ‘Registering the Right Support’ and other best practice guidance. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service were supported to live as ordinary a life as any other citizen.

People were treated with dignity, respect and were relaxed in the presence of staff. Staff interacted with people in a king, caring and sensitive manner. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of their roles and responsibilities in recognising abuse and safeguarding procedures for reporting concerns.

Staff understood people well and their preferred methods of communication, where they lacked verbal skills. Staff had respectful caring relationships with people they supported. They upheld people’s dignity and privacy and promoted their independence.

Staff roles and responsibilities were clear. People were supported by skilled staff with the right knowledge and training. There were enough staff to support people, meet their needs and keep them safe.

People received their medicines as prescribed. Systems were in place for the safe management and supply of medicines. Incidents and accidents were investigated, trends analysed, and actions were taken to prevent recurrence.

Care plans were detailed with clear explanations of control measures for staff to follow to keep people safe. Support was planned and delivered in a structured way to ensure people's safety and wellbeing.

The service continued to be well led. The registered manager and deputy manager worked well to lead the staff team in their roles and ensure people continued to receive a good service. Staff and the registered manager demonstrated a genuine interest and passion to deliver personalised care based on people's likes, wishes and preferences.

People had access to a wide range of health and social care professionals for specialist advice and support.

Staff worked in partnership with professionals to deliver care and support and maintained links with the local community. There was a varied range of social activities on offer according to individual needs and choice.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published on 1 November 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk