Acorn House Care Centre

Updated 28 September 2022

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an Exert 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.

Service and service type

The service is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service did not have a manager registered with CQC. The manager had started working at the service six weeks before our inspection and had applied to CQC to become the registered manager for the home. When a service has a registered manager, they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 11 people who lived at the home, four visiting relatives and a visiting healthcare professional, to gain their feedback about the care provided. We also spoke with the manager, a regional director, three care staff, a domestic assistant and a kitchen assistant. We reviewed a range of records, including two people’s care records which we reviewed in detail, a selection of medicines records and two staff recruitment files.

After the inspection

We spoke with four care staff on the telephone. We reviewed a variety of records related to the management of the service, including policies and audits. We contacted two community health care professionals who visited the service regularly for their feedback about the care and support provided.

Updated 28 September 2022

About the service

Acorn House Care Centre is a residential care home which provides personal care for up to 32 older people and people living with dementia. Accommodation is provided over two floors and a passenger lift is available to provide access to both floors. At the time of the inspection 30 people were living at the home.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us they felt safe living at the home. We received mixed feedback about staffing levels and have made a recommendation about this. Staff followed safe infection control practices, including wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect people from COVID-19 and the risk of cross infection. The provider ensured staff were recruited safely and were suitable to support people living at the home. People were protected from the risk of abuse or avoidable harm and appropriate action was taken to manage accidents and incidents. Staff managed people’s medicines safely, in line with national guidance. The safety of the home environment was checked regularly.

Staff knew the people they supported and provided them with individualised care that reflected their needs, risks and preferences. They encouraged people to make choices when they could. People’s care documentation included detailed information to guide staff about how to support people well and was reviewed and updated regularly. People’s end of life care wishes had been discussed with them, or their relatives where appropriate. People were happy with the range of activities available at the home. The provider managed concerns and complaints appropriately.

The manager and staff were clear about their responsibilities. They focused on providing people with high quality care, which reflected their needs and preferences. The service worked in partnership with a variety of community professionals to ensure people received any specialist support they needed. Management sought people’s views about the service and acted upon them. Everyone we spoke with was happy with the management of the service. The regular checks and audits completed by management were effective in ensuring appropriate standards of quality and safety were maintained at the home.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for the service was requires improvement (published 15 January 2021).

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection where those key question were reviewed, to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed from requires improvement to good, based on the findings of this inspection

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection to follow up on the breach of regulation that had been identified at the inspection in September 2019 but had not been reviewed during the inspection in December 2020.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.