CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Avon House Rest Home - Balcombe
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, October 2017
Avon House Rest Home - Balcombe was rated Good overall; inspectors found safe, kind and responsive care, but quality checks needed improvement.
Inspectors visited the home without warning on 12 September 2017. They spoke with people living there, relatives, staff and health professionals. They observed care and reviewed care plans, medicines records, staffing, complaints, training and quality checks.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Responsive. Inspectors found enough skilled staff, safe medicines arrangements, suitable support with food and health care, kind staff, personalised care plans and activities.
Well-led was rated Requires Improvement. The home had introduced quality checks since the previous inspection, but some audits did not contain enough detail and the new system was not yet fully established. Some people also said activities were less varied while the home recruited an activities coordinator.
People felt safe
People and relatives told inspectors they felt safe. Staff understood how to identify and report abuse, and medicines were stored and administered safely.
“The care here is superb and makes me feel really safe” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors observed warm, calm interactions. Staff respected privacy and dignity and encouraged people to remain independent.
“The home had a homely and relaxed feel.” from the report
Personalised support
Care plans included people's needs, life history, likes, dislikes and communication requirements. Staff used this information to provide care in line with people's wishes.
“The care plans were detailed and gave descriptions of people's needs and the support staff should give to meet these.” from the report
Food and health support
People were supported to eat and drink at their own pace. Special diets were provided and people could access relevant health professionals.
“Food at the service was both nutritious and appetising.” from the report
Quality checks needed strengthening
needs fixingThe home had introduced audits, but some were not detailed enough to show what action had been taken. Inspectors said the system still needed time to become established.
“However we found that some audits were not always detailed enough and still needed time to become embedded.” from the report
Activities were not always varied
minorSome people said there was not enough to do or that activities could be more varied. The home was recruiting a new activities coordinator at the time of the inspection.
“I don't think we have enough to do since our activity coordinator left” from the report
- 01What has been done to make infection control and cleaning audits more detailed?
- 02How do you now check that actions identified through audits are completed?
- 03Has an activities coordinator been appointed, and what activities are currently available?
- 04How are staffing levels reviewed when people's needs change?
- 05How will you involve my relative and our family in care plan reviews?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five key questions and the overall quality of the home; the report says improvements had been made since the April 2015 inspection but needed to become embedded. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 October 2017 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Avon House Rest Home - Balcombe
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- October 2017Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
Read what inspectors found at Avon House Rest Home - Balcombe →
- July 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- April 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 1 December 2010.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
28 live-in carers within about an hour of West Sussex
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £1,020 to £1,170 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.