Enter and view: Averlea Residential Home
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Healthwatch Cornwall undertook an enter and view visit to Averlea Residential Home in St Austell on 26 January 2026. The purpose of the visit was to observe the environment and care provided, gather feedback from residents and staff, and identify opportunities to improve wellbeing and quality of life.
Averlea Residential Home provides care for up to 14 residents aged over 65, including people living with dementia. At the time of inspection in 2025, the home had been rated “Requires improvement” by the Care Quality Commission.
During the visit, Healthwatch spoke with staff, residents, and a visiting paramedic, and observed daily life within the home. The environment was found to be calm, secure, and generally well maintained, with appropriate safety measures such as controlled access, secure records storage, and availability of personal protective equipment. Residents were seen interacting positively with staff, and the atmosphere appeared relaxed and friendly.
Residents gave very positive feedback about the care they received, consistently describing staff as kind, caring, and supportive. They reported feeling safe and well looked after, and praised the quality and quantity of food. However, some residents noted that there were limited structured activities available, which affected how they spent their time.
Staff feedback was also positive, highlighting a strong team culture, good training opportunities, and supportive management. The manager reported challenges related to financial pressures and inconsistent or incomplete referral information from external partners, which can affect placement suitability. Despite this, staff expressed pride in their work and strong relationships with residents. A visiting paramedic also described the home positively and reported no safeguarding concerns.
The report identified several areas for improvement. These included increasing structured activities to enhance residents’ wellbeing, improving the quality of referral information, reorganising cluttered office spaces, and ensuring timely progress with planned refurbishment work.
In response, the provider outlined plans to expand activities (such as gardening, baking, and exercise programmes), continue redecorating the home on a rolling basis, upgrade furnishings, and improve office space organisation.