The Avenue Care Home

At the time of our visit 24 people were using the service. During the inspection we assessed all the quality statements under the key questions of safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

The home was last rated good (published 21 February 2019). This assessment was prompted by the age of the service’s previous rating.

Systems and processes were in place to safeguard people and protect them from the risk of harm or abuse. People were supported by staff who had been trained and recruited safely. Accidents and incidents were reviewed to identify themes and the actions needed to prevent them from happening again. Any learning from incidents were shared with the staff team.

People’s needs were assessed before moving into the home so their care could be planned to meet their individual needs. People’s dietary and nutritional needs were met in accordance with their needs and preferences. Staff recognised changes in people’s health and sought professional advice appropriately.

Staff knew people well and treated them with respect. People and those important to them, where appropriate, were involved in planning their care.

People and their relatives were encouraged to provide feedback in the form of meetings and surveys. Information was used to drive through improvements.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

A range of audits were used to effectively monitor the service. Areas for improvement were identified and responded to, so the service was continuously learning and developing.