Avant (Ealing)

Updated 15 December 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection visit was conducted by 1 inspector. A second inspector and an Expert by Experience supported the inspection by making phone calls to people who used the service, their relatives and staff. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service a short period of notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 30 November 2023 and ended on 5 December 2023. We visited the location’s office on 5 December 2023

What we did before the inspection

We looked at all the information we held about the location, including notifications of significant events.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with 2 people who used the service, the relatives of 21 other people and 9 care staff on the telephone. Two other staff gave us written feedback. We met the registered manager, branch manager and a field-based manager when we visited the agency's office.

We looked at the care records for 7 people who used the service, records of staff recruitment, training and support and other records used by the provider for managing the service. These included audits, meeting minutes, records relating to medicines management and records of adverse events.

Updated 15 December 2023

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Avant (Ealing) is a care agency providing personal care and support to people living in the London Borough of Ealing. They provide a service to children as well as older and younger adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health needs and dementia.

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. At the time of our inspection, 72 people were receiving support with personal care.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.

Right Support: The staff supported people to have control, independence and make choices about their care. Staff focussed on people's strengths and what they could do. Staff supported people to pursue their interests when this was part of their care package. The staff did not restrain people. They worked with other professionals to develop plans to help people manage their anxiety and any agitation. Staff worked closely with a range of healthcare professionals to help meet people's needs.

Right Care: Staff promoted equality and diversity in their support for people. They understood people's cultural needs and provided culturally appropriate care. People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected people's privacy and dignity. Staff understood and responded to people's individual needs. Staff understood how to recognise and report abuse. There were enough suitably skilled staff to meet people's needs and keep them safe. People's communication needs were met by staff who understood these.

Right culture: The ethos, values and culture of the service helped to empower people. People received good quality care and support. Staff understood about best practice. Staff were responsive to people's needs. People, and those who were important to them, were involved in planning and reviewing their care. Staff were supported to develop their skills and careers. There were effective systems for monitoring and improving the quality of the service.

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.

For more information, please read the detailed findings section of this report. If you are reading this as a separate summary, the full report can be found on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 8 June 2018).

Why we inspected

We had not inspected this service for over 5 years, and we needed to check that they were still providing good quality and safe care.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.