Acorn Residential Home

Updated 22 November 2019

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.

Inspection team:

One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type.

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

The service had a registered manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that 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 site visit took place on 22 October 2019 and was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection:

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

Before our inspection visit, we reviewed information we held about the service in the form of statutory notifications received from the service and any safeguarding or whistleblowing incidents, which may have occurred. A statutory notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to send us by law.

During the inspection

We spoke with five people using the service, the registered manager, the owner/provider, and two care staff. We reviewed a range of records. This included three care records, two staff files, and policies and procedures relating to the care of people living in the home.

Updated 22 November 2019

Acorn Residential is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to eight people with a learning disability. This was the only home owned and managed by the provider who was a partnership, one was the registered manager, the other a senior care worker.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

The service was a large domestic style property. At the time of our visit six people were living in the home. There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate it was a care home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.

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

Risks to people had been assessed and regularly reviewed. People were protected from avoidable harm, discrimination and abuse. Appropriate staff recruitment checks were made. Procedures were in place to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. Medicines were administered and stored safely.

Staff were suitably trained and supported. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet and to stay healthy, with access to health care services as and when required.

People received support from staff who were kind and compassionate. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and ensured people's privacy was always maintained. People were supported to do as much as they could and wanted to do for themselves to retain control and independence over their lives.

People’s communication needs were met. The provider had effective systems in place to deal with concerns and complaints and to assess and monitor the quality of the service people received.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 5 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.