Avon Court

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 assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment 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.

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.

The service had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. The provider had policies and procedures, setting out expectations on how staff should work.

The service had inclusive leadership at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty. There was a new manager in post who had applied for registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Relatives and staff were positive about the manager’s approach and knowledge.

The service fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. Staff told us there were effective systems for them to raise any concerns and they felt confident action would be taken if they used them. Records demonstrated staff were encouraged to raise any concerns during team meetings and individual meetings with their supervisor, which were followed up.

The service valued diversity in their workforce. They work towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who work for them. Managers identified if staff needed any additional support or flexibility in their role and accommodated this where possible. Staff told us they felt valued and listened to by the management team.

The service had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. The management team used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They act on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and share this securely with others when appropriate. There was a range of quality monitoring and auditing systems, including feedback from people, relatives, staff and observations of staff practice. The manager had collated this feedback into a service improvement plan. The plan had clear actions, a named member of staff responsible and a time scale for completion. The plan was reviewed monthly with the area operations manager to ensure it was on track.

The service understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services work seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborate for improvement. Staff worked with other professionals to ensure people’s needs were met. Relatives told us the service involved other professionals where needed. Comments included, “The manager is very responsive and available. They have involved the specialist dementia nurses in developing support strategies” and “I am very happy with the new manager. They are very open and honest, and it is clear the residents are their priority.”

The service focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contribute to safe, effective practice and research. The manager told us they had identified areas for development in the service and were working closely with the provider to make this happen. For example, the provider had developed a specialist, male only unit in part of the home. This had been developed following identification of a demand and with input from specialist dementia nurses. Staff completed additional training and the provider regularly reviewed the unit to ensure it was meeting people’s needs.