Improvements continue at Webb Road after CQC visit

Friday 19th of May 2023

Avenues is fulfilling a detailed action plan to improve its service at Webb Road in London after its latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection.

The residential care home provides accommodation and care support for up to six people with complex learning and physical disabilities. It was rated as ‘Requires Improvement’ in three out of five inspection areas (Safe, Responsive and Well-led) following the CQC visit in January 2023.

The service was previously rated as ‘Good’. Avenues has an organisational commitment that all its services maintain ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ CQC ratings.

Inspectors found that, “The model of care and setting did not always maximise people’s choice, control and independence. There were not always enough staff to meet people’s needs. People were not always supported to maximise their independence or participate in activities of their choice within their local community… Risks to people were not always identified and there were not always risk management plans in place.”

They recognised that we “had made some improvements to the service prior to the inspection.”

Building on our programme to improve the quality of our support at Webb Road, we are implementing an action plan to include CQC’s findings. Current work includes:

• Recruiting for additional staff. The Local Authority has very recently agreed funding, so we are now able to make job offers and get new employees started.
• Updating personalised plans and risk assessments with people we support and their family/friends.
• Providing additional person-centred planning training to support our staff team with completing effective yearly planning reviews. This will also help keyworkers understand their roles and responsibilities better.
• Actively researching suitable community activities for people to participate in.
• Delivering extra training to ensure staff are clear on how to use new mobile tech devices correctly for daily record keeping.
• Carrying out frequent checks and audits to ensure all documentation is being recorded correctly and to identify any information gaps.

We’re pleased that CQC found that:

• “People received care from staff who treated them with care and consideration. We observed people interacted positively with staff and showed signs of being at ease in staff company. Relatives commented they thought their family members were happy and well treated at the service.”
• “People’s outcomes were good, and people’s feedback confirmed this. … People had hospital passports in place which detailed their health care and support needs for professionals. This information was readily available and shared with health care professionals when required such as doctors and nursing staff.”
• “Staff were aware of their roles and were positive about the new manager. One staff member said, “Oh my they are great. They know what they are doing. They are very responsive and gets things done.””

Michael Gray, Regional Director Avenues London said, “I am confident that our existing and ongoing improvement programme, along with the additional measures we have put in place since the CQC inspection, are enabling us to better meet the “right support, right care, right culture” principles. We are regularly reviewing all actions and inspections from the CQC, the local authority and our internal audits, as part of Webb Road’s continuous improvement plan. I’m committed to us learning from this inspection and delivering the high quality service that we expect.”

You can access the full report on the CQC website.

If you have a concern, complaint or compliment about our services, you can email us directly, (see easy read complaint guidance), or call us on 0300 323 0405. We aim to answer email enquiries within three working days.

Read our detailed Complaints, Concerns and Compliments procedure

Read our detailed Complaints, Concerns and Compliments policy