St Matthews Limited - The Avenue

St Matthews Limited – The Avenue is a nursing home providing accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 32 people. At the time of our assessment 32 people were living at the service. A registered manager was in post. The registered manager is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and is legally responsible for ensuring the service is compliant with legal and regulatory requirements.

Staff completed safeguarding training and knew how to raise concerns. The provider did not always assess and manage risks and some improvements were required to the environment and medicines administration. We found there was enough staff deployed to meet people’s needs, although we recommended the provider reviewed their dependency tool. Care plans provided staff with adequate detail to meet people’s needs. We found staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual needs.

The service was well-led. Staff spoke positively about changes implemented over the last 12 months, describing how these had strengthened the culture of the organisation and created a more supportive and engaging working environment. Leaders, including the Director of Operations, Chief Operating Officer, Managing Director and Chair, visited the home regularly, which helped ensure the visibility and accessibility of leadership. The Chief Operating Officer’s approach motivated staff to deliver the best possible care and we saw this reflected in the confidence of staff during our assessment.

Feedback about the registered manager from staff, people and their relatives was generally positive. Staff told us, “[Manager] is supportive and approachable. You feel you are being listened too and [manager] wants the best of us and the residents.” A relative told us, “Yes – I know the manager, [they] are always available for a chat or to ask advice.” Other relatives told us, “I have met the manager I think [manager] is doing a good job,” and “It seems very well run, the staff seem happy which is encouraging.” We observed the registered manager knew people well and was able to describe people’s needs.

Although there was a need to strengthen some governance processes, and implement improvements, we were assured work was underway before the assessment concluded.