CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Acer Court Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured about infection prevention and control, including the use of PPE, testing, admissions, hygiene, outbreak management and visits. The provider also said it had measures to manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Good
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Good
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Acer Court Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found good COVID-19 infection control and visiting arrangements.
Inspectors visited on 27 January 2022. This was an announced, targeted inspection with 24 hours' notice.
They looked at infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements, and whether COVID-19-related staffing pressures were affecting the home. They were assured that the home was using personal protective equipment safely, managing testing, and preventing and managing infection outbreaks.
The home supported visits through an online booking system and a full-time visiting coordinator. People were also supported to stay in touch with family and friends through visits, video calls, phone calls and letters.
This was not a full inspection of the service. The home was inspected but not rated, so the report does not give an overall quality rating or ratings for most of the five areas.
Visitor safety checks
The home carried out checks for visitors and staff when they arrived, in line with the COVID-19 guidance in place at the time.
“This included comprehensive checks for visitors and staff on arrival to the home.” from the report
Flexible visiting arrangements
Visitors could book online or contact the home directly. A full-time visiting coordinator helped people and their families arrange visits.
“Acer Court Care Home had an online booking system for visits so that visitors could book a visit directly without needing to contact the home.” from the report
Support for family contact
The home helped people keep in touch with relatives and friends in several ways, including visits and remote contact.
“Acer Court Care Home supported people who lived there to remain connected with friends and relatives through visits, video calls, phone calls and letters.” from the report
Infection control measures
Inspectors were assured that the home was using PPE safely, providing testing, maintaining hygiene and managing the risk of outbreaks.
“We were assured that the provider was making sure infection outbreaks can be effectively prevented or managed.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How are you currently managing COVID-19 or other infection risks for residents, staff and visitors?
- 02What checks do visitors and staff complete when they arrive at the home?
- 03How can family members book visits now, and who helps residents keep in touch with relatives?
- 04How are staffing pressures currently affecting the home, and what measures are in place if staffing levels fall?
- 05When was the last full inspection and what were the ratings for the other areas of care?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; it was not a full service inspection and the home was not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 4 February 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, November 2019
Rated Good, with Outstanding responsiveness; inspectors found kind, personalised care but said staff deployment needed regular review.
This was an unannounced inspection over two days. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives, staff and a healthcare professional. They reviewed care records, staff recruitment files, medicines information, incident records and quality checks.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led were all rated Good. Responsive was rated Outstanding, meaning inspectors found especially strong personalised support, choice and activities.
People were generally kept safe, received their medicines as prescribed and had access to food, drinks and healthcare. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. However, inspectors found that staff were not always deployed in the right places, and some end of life care records were incomplete.
Personalised care
Staff knew people well and supported their individual interests, histories and goals. Inspectors saw examples of people being helped to achieve meaningful personal ambitions.
“People received exceptional personalised care from staff who were knowledgeable and skilled to care for them.” from the report
Activities and relationships
People could choose from varied activities and stay connected with family, friends and the local community. A welcoming committee helped new residents settle in.
“People who lived at the service became part of the welcoming committee and supported people when they first came into the home.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors observed calm and reassuring interactions. Staff protected privacy, encouraged independence and involved people in choices about their care.
“We observed staff interacting with people in a calm, reassuring manner.” from the report
Food and healthcare support
People had access to food, drinks and snacks, with monitoring where needed. Staff worked positively with healthcare professionals and made referrals when people's needs changed.
“People received the support they needed to have enough to eat and drink and to maintain a balanced and healthy diet.” from the report
Staff deployment
needs fixingPeople and relatives gave mixed views about staffing. In one area, people with high needs were sometimes in a lounge without staff present, so inspectors asked the home to review deployment regularly.
“We recommend the deployment of staff is regularly reviewed to ensure enough suitably qualified staff is available to meet people's needs.” from the report
Some end of life records incomplete
needs fixingEnd of life planning had been discussed with some people, but records for some people were not complete. The team said these discussions needed to be revisited.
“End of life care planning had been discussed and planned with some people, however records for some were not complete” from the report
Mixed views about food
minorPeople were generally supported to eat and drink safely, but some people said the food could be improved. This was being discussed at residents' meetings.
“People were satisfied with the food overall, although some reported that it could be improved” from the report
- 01How have you changed staff deployment on the first floor since the inspection?
- 02How do you make sure people with high support needs are not left without staff nearby?
- 03Are all residents' end of life wishes now discussed, recorded and regularly reviewed?
- 04How are residents' views about food collected and acted on?
- 05How can relatives raise a concern, and how will they be told what action was taken?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions and the overall quality of the home. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 November 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Acer Court Care Home
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- November 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- June 2016Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- March 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 13 October 2011.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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