Acorn Village

Updated 24 November 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 15 October 2018 and was unannounced, and was completed by three inspectors and an expert by experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. In this case, the expert had experience with learning disabilities. The Expert by Experience made telephone calls to relatives/carers of people who lived in the service. We reviewed the information we held about the service including safeguarding alerts and statutory notifications, which related to the service. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to send us by law.

During our inspection, we observed care practices, and spoke with eight people living in the service. Not all people were able to talk to us about the service they received because of their complex needs. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. During the inspection, we also spoke with nine staff, the registered manager and the CEO of the service.

Following the inspection, we made telephone calls to professionals for feedback about the service. The Expert by Experience spoke with sixteen family members. We reviewed nine people’s care records, nine medication administration records (MAR) and a selection of documents about how the service was managed. These included, staff recruitment files, induction, and training schedules and training plan.

We also looked at the service’s arrangements for the management of medicines, complaints and compliments information, safeguarding alerts and quality monitoring and audit information.

Updated 24 November 2018

Acorn Village comprises of seven houses (Catkins, Phyllis Mary Lodge, Mistley Wood, Spring Lodge, Jubilee House, Oak Lodge and Gregory House). Overall Acorn Village provides care and support for up to 38 people, with each house providing specialist care and support for adults who have a learning disability and/or autistic spectrum. The service also has three small satellite homes under the same registration that provides supported living accommodation to 22 people.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the right support and other best practice guidance. These values included choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

At the last inspection, the service was rated good. At this inspection, we found the service remained good.

There was a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were safe because staff supported them to understand how to keep safe and staff knew how to manage risk effectively. There were sufficient numbers of care staff on shift with the correct skills and knowledge to keep people safe. There were appropriate arrangements in place for medicines to be stored and administered safely.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor how a provider applies the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. DoLS are in place to protect people where they do not have capacity to make decisions and where it is considered necessary to restrict their freedom in some way. Management and staff understood their responsibility in this area. Staff were committed to ensuring all decisions were made in people’s best interest.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and were attentive to their needs. People’s privacy and dignity was respected at all times. People and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

Care plans were individual and contained information about how people preferred to communicate and their ability to make decisions.

People were encouraged to take part in activities that they enjoyed. Staff supported people to keep in contact with family members.

When needed, people were supported to see health professionals and referrals were put through to ensure they had the appropriate care and treatment.

Relatives and staff were complimentary about the management of the service. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service.

There was a management structure in place, which provided clear lines of responsibility and accountability. Staff were committed and supported. Quality assurance checks were carried out to ensure people received a high quality service which met their needs and protected their rights.