CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at South Avenue
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, May 2018
South Avenue was rated Good; inspectors found safe, caring and personalised support, with some handover and activity improvements still being made.
This was an unannounced inspection on 13 March 2018. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, relatives and staff. They observed how people were supported and checked care, staffing, medicines and quality records.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, suitable training and good support for health needs. People were treated with kindness, involved in decisions and supported to communicate in their preferred ways.
The home provided personalised activities, including work, education and community opportunities. Inspectors also found that the new registered manager had improved the service since the previous inspection. The report says the overall Good rating continued and found no serious risks or concerns.
People felt safe
People and relatives told inspectors they felt safe. Staff understood safeguarding and had personalised risk assessments to guide safe support while respecting people's freedom.
“People told us they feel safe living in the home.” from the report
Personalised communication
Staff used signing, pictures and speech according to each person's needs. Care records explained how people preferred to communicate and make decisions.
“Staff communicated with people in the way people wanted.” from the report
Good health support
Staff worked with health professionals and developed practical ways to reduce anxiety during appointments and procedures.
“Staff had developed innovative ways of supporting people to reduce their anxiety when having healthcare appointments and procedures.” from the report
Activities and independence
Activities were linked to people's preferences and included community trips, work, education and leisure. People were encouraged to make choices and take part in daily life.
“Activities were central to people's quality of life at the home” from the report
Improved management
The report says the new registered manager had improved communication, management and activities since the previous inspection. Staff described an open and supportive culture.
“The home was well-led by the new registered manager who had made improvements since being in post.” from the report
Handover arrangements
needs fixingSome staff said handovers were not always effective. A new handover system was being introduced to improve how information was passed between shifts.
“Some staff said 'handovers' (when information about people were passed on to the next shift) were not always effective.” from the report
Structured activities
minorSome relatives wanted more structured activities for their family members. The manager said individual activity timetables had since been introduced and activity levels had increased.
“Some relatives said they would like their family members to have the opportunity to do more structured activities.” from the report
- 01How is the new handover system working, and how do you make sure important information is passed safely between shifts?
- 02What individual activities are currently available, and how do you check that each person's activity timetable reflects their preferences?
- 03How will you support my relative's preferred way of communicating and making decisions?
- 04How do you support people who become anxious during healthcare appointments or procedures?
- 05How are relatives involved in reviewing care plans, activities and improvements at the home?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall service covering all five CQC questions, including the premises, care, staffing, medicines and quality assurance. This explanation was written from the published report of 23 May 2018 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 South Avenue
2 rated inspections over 2 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- May 2018Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 19 June 2014.
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.
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78 live-in carers within about an hour of Derby
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 £1,260 a week. 62 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“We particularly appreciate the companionship Dawn gives in the evenings when she plays cards and Scrabble with my mother.”
“Rachel is a quietly spoken, extremely caring person and looked after Val very well.”
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.