CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at The Avenue Nursing Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, September 2023
Rated Requires Improvement overall; inspectors found kind, person-centred care, but medicines were not always managed safely.
This was the home’s first inspection. Inspectors visited without notice and spoke with people, relatives and staff. They observed care, looked around the building and checked care, medicine, recruitment and management records.
The main safety problem was medicines. Records did not always contain the right information, medicine quantities were not always accurate, and guidance for medicines given when needed was incomplete. The systems checking medicines had not found these problems.
The other four areas were rated Good. Inspectors found caring staff, personalised care records, enough staff, good training, clean premises, suitable food, activities and effective links with health professionals.
The overall rating Requires Improvement means the home was not consistently meeting the expected standard. The provider took some action during and after the inspection, but CQC asked for an action plan and will monitor progress.
Kind and respectful care
People were treated with dignity and staff were seen being kind, patient and gentle. Relatives spoke positively about the care.
“People and relatives praised the staff who they described as kind and caring.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans contained detailed information about people's backgrounds and needs. Staff followed these plans and reviewed them regularly.
“Care records were person centred and they captured detailed information on people's backgrounds and history.” from the report
Activities and family contact
The home offered planned and informal activities, trips and events involving families. People were supported to keep in touch with relatives and friends.
“There were planned activities and ad-hoc activities for people in the service, with many events where family members and friends were invited into the home to join in organised events.” from the report
Staffing and training
Inspectors found enough staff for people's assessed needs. Recruitment checks, induction, ongoing training and supervision were in place.
“Staff received the induction, training and support they required to fulfil their roles.” from the report
Clean and dementia-friendly setting
The home was clean and hygienic, with infection control practices in place. Its design included several features intended to support people living with dementia.
“The service was clean and hygienic and had robust cleaning schedules and dedicated housekeeping teams.” from the report
Medicine safety
seriousMedicine records did not always list medicines and warnings accurately. Guidance for medicines given when needed, and medicines hidden in food or drink, was not always complete or available.
“The systems to monitor and audit the service had not identified the issues we found during the inspection.” from the report
Unsafe transport chairs
seriousSome padded chairs used to move people did not have footplates. Inspectors said people's feet could drag and catch on the floor.
“Most of these chairs did not have footplates which meant people's feet were dragging and catching on the floor when staff wheeled them from one area to another.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to medicine administration records and medicine stock checks since the inspection?
- 02How do staff know when to give medicines prescribed for use when needed, and where is this guidance recorded?
- 03How are medicines hidden in food or drink authorised, recorded and reviewed?
- 04Have all padded transport chairs been checked and fitted with suitable footplates?
- 05What progress has been made on the action plan requested by CQC?
This was the first unannounced inspection and covered all five key questions, including infection prevention and control; the report records inspection activity from 22 November to 1 December 2022. This explanation was written from the published report of 19 September 2023 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 The Avenue Nursing Home
Each visit the CQC has published, newest first, back to the day the home was registered.
- September 2023Requires improvementcurrent ratingSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- September 2021
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 8 September 2021.
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
99 live-in carers within about an hour of Bradford
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 £980 to £1,250 a week. 87 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“Carla has been a god send with the implementation of bringing mum back home from respite care.”
“She understands the needs of an elderly person in the early stages of dementia and has treated my mother with great kindness and skill.”
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.