We carried out a review of the data available to us about Avante Home Care and Support Service on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Avante Home Care and Support Service, you can give feedback on this service.
Avante Home Care and Support Service is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care and support for people in their own homes. The agency provides care and support for people in the Kent area. This included older people, people with learning disabilities, mental health, physical disability and sensory impairment. At the time of our inspection, 134 people were receiving personal care from the agency.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service:
People told us they were safe with the staff that supported them. People were kept safe by staff who had been trained to meet people’s needs. The new manager and staff knew what their responsibilities were in relation to keeping people safe from the risk of abuse.
Care plans contained detailed risk assessments. Risk to people’s health and wellbeing were addressed and mitigated. Environmental risk assessments were also in place, which identified and reduced any environmental risks to people and staff.
Robust recruitment processes continued to be in place. This prevented unsuitable staff from working with vulnerable adults. People told us staff were reliable and consistent. Staff were skilled in carrying out their role. The manager ensured staff were appropriately trained.
People told us they felt at ease with staff. People were cared for by staff who treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff were committed to providing person centred care and respected people’s individual preferences.
People’s needs were assessed prior to receiving a service including their protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
At the time of the inspection, the service had a new manager in post who was undergoing registration with the Commission and was effectively overseeing the day to day running of the agency.
The service had an effective system in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the services provided. Staff told us there was an open culture where they were kept informed about any changes to their role. Staff and people told us the manager was approachable and listened to their ideas and suggestions.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection:
The last rating for this service was Good (published 21 June 2017).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned comprehensive inspection.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Avante Home Care and Support Service provides care services to people in their own home in Kent. The care provided was tailored to people’s needs so that people could maintain their health and wellbeing or maintain their independence.
Care was delivered to older people some of whom were living with dementia and younger adults. There were 150 people using the service at the time of our inspection. The care and support people needed were mainly short calls of not less than 30 minutes, with some people needing support packages requiring two staff. The care had been managed from an office in Maidstone, which had been moved to Faversham shortly after our last inspection.
At the last Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in October 2015, at the Maidstone office the service was rated as Good in all of the domains and had an overall Good rating.
At this inspection we found the registered manager had consistently monitored the quality of their service to maintain a rating of Good.
There was a registered manager employed at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People continued to experience care that was caring and compassionate. Staff were trusted and well thought of by the people using the service.
People continued to have their needs assessed and their care was planned to maintain their safety, health and wellbeing.
Risks were assessed and recorded by staff to protect people. There were systems in place to monitor incidents and accidents.
Staff had received training about protecting people from abuse and showed a good understanding of what their responsibilities were in preventing abuse.
The provider continued to update their policies in line with published guidance and practice in social care.
Procedures for reporting any concerns were in place. The registered manager knew how and when they should escalate concerns following the local authorities safeguarding protocols.
Staff training covered both core training like first aid and more specialised training like catheter care. They also understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how to support people’s best interest if they lacked capacity.
Staff continued to have good levels of support and supervision to enable them to carry out their roles.
Staff continued to be recruited safely and had been through a selection process that ensured they were fit to work with people who needed safeguarding.
Staff had been trained to administer medicines safely and staff spoke confidently about their skills and abilities to do this well.
People were pleased that staff encouraged them to keep healthy through eating a balanced diet and drinking enough fluids. Care plans were kept reviewed and updated.
There were policies in place that ensured people would be listened to and treated fairly if they complained.
The management team and staff were committed to the values of the organisation and ensured they took these into account when delivering care and support.
People were happy with the leadership and approachability of the service’s registered manager.