Avalon

This report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) provides an overview of Avalon, a care home for young people with learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum disorder. The inspection assessed the service across five key areas: safety, effectiveness, caring, responsiveness, and leadership. Overall, the report highlights a positive and enabling environment where residents are supported to live as independently as possible, with a strong focus on personalised care and respecting individual choices and dignity.

Regarding how safe the service is, residents are protected from abuse and avoidable harm, with staff well-trained in safeguarding procedures and confident in reporting concerns. Although not a major issue, there was a point raised about the need for better inventories for residents' personal belongings, which the manager promptly addressed. The service effectively supports residents' needs by carefully assessing risks and ensuring that care plans are personalised and regularly reviewed, with safety measures in place. Staffing levels are sufficient to ensure residents' needs are met, and robust recruitment processes are followed. Medicine management systems are in place for safe storage, administration, and regular audits. The home is kept clean, and staff receive training in infection control. Any incidents or accidents are investigated to identify trends and prevent recurrence.

In terms of how effective the care is, residents receive support that achieves good outcomes and promotes a good quality of life. Care is delivered in line with best practice guidance and legislation, with residents' capacity to make decisions assessed and supported. Staff receive comprehensive induction and regular supervision, ensuring they have the necessary skills and knowledge, including specific training for supporting individuals with autism and epilepsy. Residents are supported to maintain a balanced diet with choice and involvement in menu planning. The environment is homely and personalised, with facilities that promote independence. Staff work effectively with other agencies to ensure residents receive timely and consistent healthcare.

The service is caring, with staff treating residents with dignity, compassion, kindness, and respect. Residents appear relaxed and well-understood by the staff, who engage with them in a calm and considerate manner. Relatives' feedback highlights the exceptional quality of care and the feeling that residents are loved and cared for. Staff consistently affirm and praise residents, positively impacting their wellbeing. Residents' preferences, choices, and communication needs are understood and respected, and they are supported to access advocacy if needed. Privacy, dignity, and independence are actively promoted, and residents are encouraged to maintain relationships with their loved ones.

In terms of how responsive the service is, residents' needs are met through good organisation and personalised care delivery. Care plans are detailed, regularly reviewed, and updated to reflect changing needs. Communication needs are understood, and appropriate tools are provided. The service actively supports residents in pursuing their interests and hobbies, with access to a wide range of community activities and opportunities for holidays. Life goals and aspirations are explored and planned for. The service has a visible complaints procedure, and no complaints have been received since the last inspection. Annual satisfaction surveys for relatives have yielded positive responses.

Finally, the service is well-led, with leaders promoting high-quality, person-centred care. The registered manager and staff demonstrate a strong commitment to the service's values of personalised care, independence, choice, rights, and empowerment. While the manager has systems for monitoring quality, the report noted that the provider's formal, recorded quality and safety monitoring visits were not consistently carried out in line with their own policy. This was recommended for improvement. Feedback from residents, relatives, and staff is actively sought and used to improve the service, such as the introduction of communication books for updates. Staff feel well-supported and informed, and there is a positive team culture focused on resident wellbeing. There is a commitment to continuous learning and improvement.