Avant (Sutton)

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• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. This is the first assessment for this service since their registration in June 2024. This key question has been rated good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff were supported to deliver high quality care and support to people in line with the provider’s vision and values for the service. The registered manager told us, “The values and visions are constantly discussed and we recognise staff who embody these. We log compliments we receive. We have employee of the quarter and employee of the year. We give gift certificates. And we share compliments from people with all staff so they can see what good practice is.” Systems and processes had been designed in line with the service’s vision and values and focused on people and meeting their individual needs. Managers used supervision and staff team meetings to make sure staff remained focussed and understood how the service’s vision and values should be achieved through their working practices.

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

People spoke positively about managers and found them accessible and easy to speak with if they had a query or concerns. One person told us, “[Manager] is very professional. I think they have been very good at communication. You can ring them or e-mail. There is an out of hours number.” A relative said, “There’s been no problems with all the dealings that I’ve had. Easy to get through to. I have three of the managers phone numbers.” Healthcare professionals told us managers were responsive and dealt with their queries or concerns in an appropriate way. Staff said managers were experienced and knowledgeable and led effectively. A staff member told us, “My managers are experienced and knowledgeable, providing clear guidance and ensuring the smooth running of the service.” Managers understood their roles and responsibility to deliver safe, high quality care to people. The nominated individual said, “It starts with me and the registered manager. We strive to be good leaders. We are not perfect. But we are always looking to develop ourselves and we have all completed level 7 (qualification in Health and Social Care).” The registered manager told us, “We are very passionate about what we do. When something goes wrong we take it personally and we want to address it. We are so transparent, we take ownership of issues.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

People, staff and others were supported to speak up and give their views and feedback. They were provided a range of ways they could do this. A staff member told us, “I am always being encouraged to speak up and also to be honest if things are not right because communication is key and I feel safe talking to them (managers) about everything and they are always there to help me out.” Another staff member said, “There is a culture of openness where I am encouraged to speak up if something is not right, knowing my feedback will be taken seriously without fear of repercussions.” The registered manager said, “We make sure people are told about how they can make complaints. We have a customer forum online about every 6 months and invite service users and relatives to talk and engage with us. We have weekly carers meetings and weekly branch meetings and we discuss everything like complaints and compliments. We do surveys and telephone reviews with people. We have carers representatives and they come to our management meetings and they give us feedback. They are the outspoken staff and they are the ones who will raise things.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff were treated well by managers who always treated them equally and fairly. A staff member told us, “My company genuinely values inclusivity and fairness. I’ve never seen any form of discrimination, and everyone, both staff and the people we support, is treated with kindness and respect.” Another staff member said, “I also feel that managers treat me fairly and equally, creating an inclusive work environment where concerns are addressed appropriately and all staff receive equal opportunities.” Managers understood the importance of a fair and inclusive workplace for all staff. The senior branch manager told us, “When we have promotions this is open to everyone, so no one is excluded.” The nominated individual said, “In wellbeing conversations, we talk to staff and this allows them to discuss any concerns.” There were arrangements in place to support all staff to continuously learn and develop in the role. There were opportunities for career progression which were available to any staff member that wanted this. Staff were provided support through relevant training and supervision to inform their knowledge and understanding of equality, inclusivity and fairness in the workplace.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider had systems in place which were used to regularly check and audit the quality and safety of care and support provided to people. Outcomes from checks and audits were used to make any changes required and support staff to improve their working practices. The registered manager understood and demonstrated compliance with regulatory requirements. They also understood their responsibility to provide honest information, suitable support and to apply duty of candour where appropriate.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

People were supported to give their feedback about how the service could be improved for them. Staff were provided with opportunities to share their views and give feedback about how the service could be improved for people. Managers were responsive to feedback and acted on this to improve the experiences of people using the service. Partners had positive experiences of working with the service to collaborate on the delivery of safe, high quality care to people. Their guidance and recommendations were used to support staff learning and improve the safety and quality of the delivery of people’s care and support.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

Staff were supported to learn and improve in their role, through training, supervision and staff meetings. Arrangements were in place to obtain feedback from people and staff to help the service learn and improve. A staff member told us, “Yes, I am often asked about my views about the service and managers are always open to getting ideas on how to improve services more and efficiently.” Managers used the learning from feedback, along with outcomes from audits and checks, to make improvements to the quality and safety of the care and support provided to people. Managers attended relevant networks and meetings with partners to continually improve their knowledge and practice in relation to how the service is delivered to people.