CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Acorn Lodge Care Centre
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found enough staff, safe recruitment, monitored risks, safe medicines systems and good infection prevention arrangements.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed and staff were trained and supported. Food and drink support had improved since the previous inspection, although feedback about food variety was mixed.
- Caring?
- Good
- Staff treated people with kindness, patience and respect. Inspectors saw staff protect privacy and dignity, while encouraging independence and involvement in decisions.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans reflected people's needs and preferences. People could take part in group or individual activities, maintain relationships and raise complaints.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had a clear management structure and regular audits, meetings and feedback systems. Inspectors found an open culture and evidence of learning after incidents.
What inspectors found, January 2024
Acorn Lodge Care Centre is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with improvements in supporting nutrition.
This was an unannounced inspection over four visits in November 2023. Inspectors spoke with people living in the home, relatives, staff and managers. They observed care and reviewed care records, staff files, medicines records and quality checks.
All five areas were rated Good: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines systems, suitable risk assessments and good infection control. People were treated with kindness, respect and dignity.
Care was personalised. People could choose their meals, activities and how they spent their time. The home supported access to health professionals and involved people and relatives in care planning.
The Effective rating improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection. This followed improvements in supporting people's nutrition and hydration. The overall rating and the other four ratings remained Good. The previous overall rating was Good, published in October 2019.
Enough staff
People and relatives said staff were available and responded promptly. Inspectors tested call bells and saw staff attend people's rooms quickly.
“We tested a random sample of call bells and observed staff attend to people's rooms promptly.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors observed staff speaking kindly and spending time with people. People's privacy, dignity and independence were respected.
“We observed staff speak to people in a kind and compassionate manner, spending time laughing and interacting with them.” from the report
Improved food and drink support
The home had improved its support for nutrition and hydration since the previous inspection. People were offered different meals, drinks and alternatives.
“People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet.” from the report
Personalised activities
People could choose activities inside or outside the home, including group or one-to-one support. Relatives were invited to join in.
“The home had activities coordinators who supported group and individual activities to prevent social isolation and to help build friendships.” from the report
Food variety
minorFeedback about the food was mixed. Some people enjoyed it, while others wanted more variety.
“Feedback on the quality of the food was mixed with some people enjoying the food offered and others wanting more variety.” from the report
- 01How do you find out what food variety my relative wants, and what do you do when someone is unhappy with the choices?
- 02How will you support my relative to take part in activities that match their interests, including one-to-one activities if needed?
- 03How will you assess and review my relative's risks, mobility needs and independence after they move in?
- 04How will you support my relative's communication needs, including hearing equipment, pictures or help in their preferred language?
- 05How will you involve me and my relative in care planning, reviews and decisions about health care?
This was an unannounced inspection of the care home, including its premises and care, and inspectors assessed all five key questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 January 2024 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, March 2021
Acorn Lodge Care Centre was rated Good; inspectors found safe care and improved management, but record-keeping still needed attention.
This was an unannounced focused inspection on 24 February 2021. Inspectors checked whether the home had fixed earlier problems with safe care and treatment, good governance, and infection control.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found enough suitable staff, safer medicines systems, updated risk assessments, infection controls, and processes for learning from incidents. People and relatives said they felt safe and were happy with the care.
The home had improved from Requires Improvement at the previous inspection, and the earlier breaches had been resolved. However, the provider was advised to improve its filing and record-keeping system because information was stored in different places and some checks were not recorded.
Safe medicines
Medicine records had been reviewed and were appropriately completed. Staff could explain how they managed blood glucose monitors and crushed medicines safely.
“Medicine administration records (MAR) had been reviewed and were appropriately completed.” from the report
Enough staff
Inspectors found enough suitable staff to meet people's needs. People said call bells were answered promptly, and recruitment checks were complete.
“The provider deployed sufficient and suitable staff to ensure people's individual needs were met safely.” from the report
Risk management
People had individual, regularly reviewed risk assessments covering areas such as falls, diabetes, nutrition and pressure sores.
“People's risk assessments were individualised, and promoted and respected their freedom, and were regularly reviewed.” from the report
Open leadership
People, relatives and staff described the management as approachable and supportive. The home sought feedback and kept relatives updated.
“People, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals told us, and records confirmed that the provider engaged with them” from the report
Records were not organised
needs fixingSome checks and actions were not recorded, and information was filed in different places and formats. Inspectors said this made information slower to find and recommended a stronger filing system.
“However, there was no record-keeping system to show that the checks by the clinical manager were carried out and that actions to update care plans had been taken.” from the report
Medicine protocols were not readily available
minorDetailed protocols for medicines given when needed were available electronically, but paper copies were not attached to medicine records for quick access.
“However, these could only be accessed via the electronic system. Paper copies were not attached with MAR charts for a quick access.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to the filing and record-keeping system since this inspection?
- 02How do you now record the checks carried out on care plans and the actions taken?
- 03Where can staff quickly find the protocols for medicines given when needed?
- 04How do you make sure medicines, diabetes care plans and risk assessments remain up to date?
- 05What were the ratings for Effective, Caring and Responsive at the previous comprehensive inspection?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, including infection control and earlier breaches; the other key question ratings were carried over from the previous comprehensive inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 11 March 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 Lodge Care Centre
7 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- January 2024Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2021Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2021Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2020Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2019Requires improvementstayed Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- September 2018Requires improvementdown from GoodSafe: Requires improvementEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- May 2017Goodstayed GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- February 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- October 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- December 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 December 2010.
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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