Archived: Little Acorns

Updated 3 December 2020

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.

As part of CQC’s response to care homes with outbreaks of coronavirus, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control practice was safe and the service was compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 11 November 2020 and was announced.

Updated 3 December 2020

About the service

Little Acorns is a residential care home providing personal care older people, male and female, who are living with dementia. People’s dementia is at different stages and therefore needs vary. The service can support up to 20 people and at the time of the inspection there were 19 people living at the home.

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

Staff were kind to people and treated them with compassion and respect. A relative told us on visiting the home for the first time, “I stood in the hall and heard laughter. That made up my mind this was the place.” Staff understood people’s day to day care and support needs and provided these in a calm and supportive way. People’s privacy and dignity were supported, and people’s independence encouraged.

People received person centred care and the registered manager and staff knew people well. Activities were provided at the home and people were given the choice of what they would like to join in with. A complaints policy was in place and was accessible. Complaints were dealt with in a timely and appropriate way. Most people had end of life care plans and people were supported with dignity at this time of their lives. Staff were supported by the registered manager.

The registered manager knew people well and they responded positively when she spoke with them. The registered manager said, “It’s the atmosphere here that brings people in.” Auditing processes were in place to ensure trends could be identified and errors dealt with. The home had a positive relationship with professionals such as GP’s district nurses and occupational therapists.

People were safe and were protected from abuse and harm. Staff received safeguarding training and were able to describe examples of what constituted abuse. They were able to tell us what they would do in those circumstances. Staff were aware of the whistleblowing policy. At the time of the inspection the home was undergoing some redecoration but remained clean, tidy. Fire and other safety checks had been carried out and accidents and incidents reported. Risk assessments had been completed and people were supported to take their medicines.

Staff training was up to date. Staff were able to describe their induction and how this was supported by ongoing supervision meetings. People were supported to access health and social care professionals. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet and were given choice. Staff sought consent from people. People were supported in the least restrictive way and evidence was seen of best interest meetings to support people who lacked capacity to make certain decisions.

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.

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

Rating at last inspection

Good. (Report published 25 November 2016)

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.