CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Acorn House Care Centre
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People felt safe. Inspectors found that risks, medicines, accidents, recruitment, infection control and the home environment were managed safely. However, staffing shortages had sometimes caused delays in support.
- Effective?
- Good
- No current rating or detailed findings for Effective are given in this report.
- Caring?
- Good
- No current rating or detailed findings for Caring are given in this report.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and regularly updated. Staff knew people's needs and preferences, supported communication and activities, and dealt with complaints appropriately.
- Well-led?
- Good
- People, relatives and staff were positive about management. Audits were effective, staff understood their responsibilities, and management acted on feedback and identified improvements.
What inspectors found, September 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found personalised, safe care, but staffing shortages sometimes caused delays.
This was an unannounced planned follow-up inspection on 30 and 31 August 2022. Inspectors spoke with people living at the home, relatives, staff and health professionals. They also reviewed care plans, medicines records, recruitment files, policies and audits.
The home was rated Good overall. Safe, Responsive and Well-led were all rated Good. Inspectors found that people felt safe, medicines were managed properly, care plans were personalised, and management listened to people's views.
There was mixed feedback about staffing. Rotas showed the home had sometimes been understaffed during both the day and night, and people could experience delays in receiving support. The CQC recommended that staffing levels continued to be monitored.
Personalised care
Care plans gave staff detailed guidance about people's needs, risks, abilities and preferences. Staff were observed offering choices and supporting people in ways that suited them.
“The care plans we reviewed were personalised and included detailed information to guide staff about people's needs, risks, abilities and preferences.” from the report
Safe medicines management
People received their medicines as they should. Staff had suitable training and were assessed as competent, and checks were carried out on medicines and records.
“People received their medicines as and when they should.” from the report
Positive management
People and relatives were happy with how the home was managed. Staff described the manager as supportive and approachable, and regular audits helped maintain standards.
“Everyone we spoke with was happy with the management of the service.” from the report
Staffing shortages
needs fixingRotas showed the home had sometimes been understaffed during the day and night. Staff said this could lead to delays in people receiving support, so the CQC recommended continued monitoring of staffing levels.
“Staffing rotas showed that on a number of occasions over recent weeks, the service had been understaffed during the day and night.” from the report
- 01How many care staff are normally on duty during the day and night now?
- 02What happens when a member of staff is absent or a shift cannot be filled?
- 03Have staffing shortages caused any delays in care since this inspection?
- 04What progress has been made with the manager's application to become registered with the CQC?
- 05How are the new personalised care plans and one-page summaries kept up to date?
This was an unannounced planned follow-up inspection that rated Safe, Responsive and Well-led; the report does not give current ratings for Effective or Caring. This explanation was written from the published report of 28 September 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, January 2021
Rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found good safe, effective and caring support, but the overall rating remained limited by a breach in an area not assessed.
This was an announced, focused inspection on 2 December 2020. Two inspectors observed care, spoke with people, relatives, staff and a healthcare professional, and checked care records, recruitment files, staffing rotas, maintenance records and quality checks.
The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective and Caring. Inspectors found people were protected from abuse, medicines were managed safely, infection control was suitable, staff were trained, and people were treated with kindness and respect. Care was planned around people's needs and people had access to food, healthcare and other professionals.
The home was rated Requires Improvement overall and for Well-led. The report says this was because there was a breach in another key question that was not assessed during this inspection. The home had improved since the previous inspection, and previous breaches in recruitment, medicines, staff support and governance were no longer present.
Kind and respectful care
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors saw staff spending time with people and treating them with warmth, kindness and respect.
“Staff interacted with people in a warm, kind, caring and friendly manner and people were comfortable in the presence of staff.” from the report
Safe infection control
The home was clean and odour free. Staff used protective equipment safely, testing was taking place, and a visiting pod was available.
“The home was clean and odour free with additional cleaning processes in place.” from the report
Improved management systems
The provider had improved its quality monitoring and acted when shortfalls were found. Records were accessible and completed to a good standard.
“The provider had improved the quality monitoring systems which covered all aspects of the service.” from the report
Good support with food and health
People were offered nutritious food and support was provided patiently. The home worked with health and social care professionals to coordinate care.
“People who needed support and encouragement with their meals, were assisted with patience and dignity.” from the report
Evening staffing
needs fixingSome people said there were not enough staff at night, and staff had mixed views about evening and night staffing. The manager had changed staffing arrangements, but these were still being reviewed.
“People said there were not always enough staff particularly during the busy evening period.” from the report
Training records
minorThe overall training record showed when training was due, rather than when it was last completed. The manager had referred this for action.
“We noted the overall training matrix showed dates when training was due and not when last carried out.” from the report
- 01How many staff are planned for each evening and night shift, and what has the review of the new staffing arrangements found?
- 02What was the breach in the key question that was not assessed during this inspection?
- 03How do you check that staff training has been completed, rather than only recording when it is due?
- 04What further work is planned to involve more people in decisions about their care?
- 05What improvements remain outstanding under the home's development plan?
This was a focused inspection of Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led; Responsive was not assessed and previous ratings for questions not looked at were used in calculating the overall rating. This explanation was written from the published report of 16 January 2021 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 Acorn House Care Centre
6 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- September 2022Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2021Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2019Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- October 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: Requires improvementResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- March 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- March 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 31 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.
Weigh the report against the rest
Fees, photos and reviews from families
How to read CQC ratings and reports
What to check when you visit
At least 100 live-in carers within about an hour of Blackburn with Darwen
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 91 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
“Primrose is a very kind and compassionate healthcare professional”
“She understands the needs of an elderly person in the early stages of dementia and has treated my mother with great kindness and skill.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.