Averill House

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Staff were kind and caring and knew people quite well. Staff were aware of people’s individual communication strategies, and we observed staff speaking to people in a dignified manner. People were supported to make choices as to how they spent their day. Family and friends visited the home regularly and without restrictions. People attended the homes activities and enjoyed the planned events on at the home. Some staff were completing the new streamlined care records ready for transferring the information to an electronic system but had to manage this work around other tasks and supporting people at the home.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Kindness, compassion and dignity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

People told us staff were kind and caring. People and their relative’s confirmed visiting was encouraged anytime, and they were able to choose how they spent their day. People told us, “I watch TV in the lounge and sometimes join in with activities.” and “I have visitors. They tend to phone in the morning to say they are coming in the afternoon. I sometimes join in the activities they put on.” Relatives told us, “Visiting is any time, and they (staff) will always phone me if there is any problem. Communication is very good.” and “I visit every day and there are no restrictions of which I am aware of. We are hoping that [Name] can get a permanent residency here as we feel it’s the best place for [Name].”

Staff told us they were aware care records were being streamlined to ensure they were reflective of people’s needs. One staff member said, “I am quite new to care plans, getting used to them more now. Critical care plans such as falls, diet and fire are completed within 24 hours. It can be difficult as there are no supernumerary hours, so they have to be completed around shifts.” Staff told us, they do try to get to know people and observe people so they can understand likes, dislikes, and personal preferences. Staff were aware of visiting arrangements, and they felt they had built good relationships with family members.

We observed staff mainly treated people with dignity and respect. We did observe a staff member placing a protective apron on someone at lunch time without any explanation or asking if they would like to wear the apron. Another person also told us, the same staff member had placed an apron on them without consent and they had taken it off. The same staff member then returned and replaced the apron on them without consent. Other observations were staff knew people well. Staff spoke to people in a caring manner and were genuinely interested in people’s responses. We observed people asking for assistance in the dining room and support was provided promptly. We observed staff reported any health concerns to senior staff promptly.

Care records recorded how staff should support people to communicate effectively. For some people living with dementia, strategies recorded staff should minimise the use of jargon and use short, clear sentences. People’s choices were captured in care records as well as strategies to ensure people were supported to remain independent, however, there was no evidence people were involved in review of their choices and preferences to ensure they remained valid. Care records recorded people’s circle and family and friends and networks who were important to them. The provider’s visiting policy underpinned the importance to supporting visits to maintain social contact and prevent isolation. Activities were planned and there were regular advertisements of events going on at the home.

We did not look at Responding to people’s immediate needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Workforce wellbeing and enablement during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.