Avonfield Neurological Centre | Elysium Healthcare

What families say

Families describe a team that's polite and attentive during daily care routines. The centre provides structured support for residents working through post-stroke recovery, with therapeutic programmes designed to help rebuild strength and independence.

Based on 7 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth75
• Compassion & dignity75
• Cleanliness70
• Activities & engagement68
• Food quality55
• Healthcare52
• Management & leadership75
• Resident happiness70

What inspectors found

Inspected 2022-11-23 · Report published 2022-11-23 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"The Safe domain was rated Good at the October 2022 inspection. Inspectors did not identify concerns about staffing numbers or safety systems at the time of the visit. The home cares for people with complex needs including dementia, neurological conditions, and mental health conditions, all of which require attentive, consistent safe care. The published summary does not include specific detail about medicines management, falls recording, or infection control, so families should ask about these directly. The Safe rating indicates that, at the point of inspection, the home met the threshold for adequate safety.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good in Safe is reassuring, but for a home with this level of clinical complexity, the published summary leaves important questions unanswered. Good Practice research consistently shows that night staffing is where safety most often slips in nursing homes, particularly for people with dementia or neurological conditions who may be restless, at risk of falls, or unable to call for help. Our family review data shows that staff attentiveness is mentioned in 14% of positive reviews, and cleanliness in 24.3%, yet neither is specifically evidenced in this inspection summary. A Good rating tells you the baseline was met; it does not tell you how comfortably the home clears it.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that agency reliance undermines consistency of safe care, particularly for people with dementia who depend on recognising familiar faces and established routines. Ask specifically how many agency staff covered shifts in the last month.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota for the last two weeks, not a template. Count how many shifts were covered by permanent staff versus agency workers, and specifically ask what the night staffing ratio is for the dementia unit."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Requires improvement

  {"found":"The Effective domain was rated Requires Improvement at the October 2022 inspection. This is the only domain where inspectors found the home to be falling below the standard expected. The published summary does not specify which aspects of Effective were found wanting, whether care planning, staff training, health monitoring, or nutrition. Given the home's specialism in dementia and neurological conditions, any gap in clinical effectiveness carries a higher-than-average risk for the people living here. A review carried out in July 2023 did not find evidence requiring a reassessment of the rating, but that review was based on available data rather than a fresh inspection visit.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Effective is the domain that covers whether your parent's care is actually working as it should: whether their care plan reflects who they are and what they need, whether staff have the right dementia training, whether a GP is called promptly when health changes, and whether food and hydration needs are properly understood. A Requires Improvement here is the most important signal in this report. Family review data shows that healthcare access accounts for 20.2% of positive reviews, and dementia-specific care is mentioned in 12.7%. If those things were not consistently in place at the time of inspection, your parent may not receive the standard of clinical care their needs require. Ask directly what was found to be falling short and what has changed.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that care plans function as living documents only when they are reviewed regularly with family involvement. Plans written at admission and not updated are a common marker of poor Effective ratings in nursing home inspections.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you a current care plan for someone with a similar condition to your parent, with personal details removed. Check whether it includes specific preferences, current health goals, and a date showing when it was last reviewed. If it has not been reviewed in the last three months, that is a concern."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Good

  {"found":"The Caring domain was rated Good at the October 2022 inspection. Inspectors were satisfied that staff treated the people living in the home with kindness and respect. The published summary does not include direct observations or resident quotes that would allow a more granular picture, but a Good in Caring indicates the inspection team found the overall culture of interactions to be warm and dignified. For a home caring for people with complex neurological and mental health conditions, respectful and patient care is especially important. No concerns about dignity or privacy were recorded.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of positive family reviews in our data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity account for 55.2%. A Good in Caring is a meaningful signal, but the absence of specific inspection observations means you cannot rely on the rating alone. Good Practice research shows that non-verbal communication matters as much as verbal interaction for people with advanced dementia or limited speech, and that knowing a person's history and preferences is what separates genuinely kind care from routine care. On your visit, watch how staff interact with your parent's potential future neighbours, not just with you.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett evidence review found that person-led care requires staff to know the individual, not just their diagnosis. Homes rated Good in Caring tend to show this through small, observable behaviours: using preferred names, making eye contact, and not talking over residents to visitors.","watch_out":"When you visit, pay attention to how staff address the people you pass in corridors and communal areas. Do they use names? Do they stop to speak, or walk past? Ask a staff member what your parent's preferred name would be used, and how they would find that out."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Good

  {"found":"The Responsive domain was rated Good at the October 2022 inspection. This indicates inspectors found the home to be meeting the individual needs of the people living there, including activities, engagement, and how the home responds to changing needs. The published summary does not record specific examples of activities, individual tailoring, or how the home supports people who cannot participate in group settings. Given the home's specialisms in dementia, neurological conditions, and physical disabilities, the range of functional abilities among residents is likely to be wide. A Good rating suggests the baseline was met but does not confirm how varied or personalised the programme is in practice.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Activities and engagement account for 21.4% of positive family reviews, and resident happiness for 27.1%. For people living with dementia or neurological conditions, meaningful activity is not a luxury; it is a clinical need. Good Practice research shows that tailored individual activities, including everyday household tasks and sensory engagement, are more effective than group sessions alone for people with advanced dementia or limited mobility. A Good in Responsive tells you the inspectors were broadly satisfied, but it does not tell you whether there is a dedicated activities coordinator, how many one-to-one sessions happen each week, or what happens on a Sunday afternoon.","evidence_base":"The rapid evidence review found that Montessori-based and task-oriented approaches, such as folding, sorting, and familiar domestic activities, provide meaningful engagement for people who can no longer participate in formal group activities. Ask whether staff are trained in any of these approaches.","watch_out":"Ask to see the activities timetable for the last two weeks, not the planned schedule but the actual record of what happened. Ask specifically what engagement is available for someone who cannot join a group, and how often one-to-one time is built into the day."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Good

  {"found":"The Well-led domain was rated Good at the October 2022 inspection. A named registered manager, Miss Yewande Ebun Keleko, was in post at the time of the inspection, and Ms Sheetal Shah was listed as the nominated individual for the provider, Elysium Healthcare No. 4 Limited. A Good in Well-led indicates inspectors found the governance and oversight of the home to be functioning adequately. The published summary does not include specific detail about how feedback is gathered, how staff are supported to raise concerns, or how the home handles complaints. The July 2023 monitoring review did not trigger a reassessment, suggesting no significant deterioration was identified in the intervening period.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Management stability is one of the strongest predictors of quality over time. Our family review data shows that management and communication account for 23.4% and 11.5% of positive reviews respectively. Good Practice research found that leadership stability predicts quality trajectory, and that homes where staff feel able to speak up without fear tend to deliver better outcomes for the people living there. The Good in Well-led is a positive sign, but the Requires Improvement in Effective sits within the same leadership context. Ask how the manager has addressed the Effective shortfall since November 2022, and whether families are routinely involved in reviews and decisions.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research evidence review found that bottom-up empowerment, giving frontline staff the authority and confidence to raise concerns and suggest improvements, is a consistent marker of well-led homes that maintain quality between inspections.","watch_out":"Ask the manager directly: what specific things were flagged as Requires Improvement in the Effective domain, and what has changed since the November 2022 inspection? A confident, specific answer suggests genuine accountability. A vague or defensive response is worth noting."}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The centre specialises in caring for adults with physical disabilities, sensory impairments, and mental health conditions, accepting residents both under and over 65. They provide specialist neurological care including post-stroke rehabilitation support.. Gaps or open questions remain on The team has experience supporting residents with dementia alongside other neurological conditions. Care plans are adapted to meet the complex needs that arise when dementia occurs alongside physical disabilities. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.