CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Little Acre Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
What inspectors found, August 2022
Rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, safe care, but leadership and records needed improvement.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 30 June, 5 July and 22 July 2022. Inspectors spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
People were described as safe and well cared for. Staff were kind and spent time with people. Medicines were managed safely, meals were well regarded, and care was tailored to people's needs.
The home was clean and comfortable, but some areas looked worn. Some furnishings were not dementia-friendly and bathroom equipment needed upgrading. The main weakness was leadership: some records were incomplete, actions were not always checked again, and some notifiable events had not been reported to CQC.
The overall rating was Good. Safe, effective, caring and responsive care were rated Good. Well-led was rated Requires Improvement, meaning the management and quality-checking systems were not yet consistently reliable.
Kind and welcoming care
People and relatives described staff as caring and kind. Inspectors saw staff engaging with people and spending time with them.
“People and relatives praised the friendly atmosphere in the home and described staff as caring and kind.” from the report
Safe medicines and infection control
Medicines were managed safely, with staff training and checks. Inspectors were assured about infection control, and the report says there had been no COVID-19 cases at the home throughout the pandemic.
“Medicines were managed in a safe way. Staff had training and competency checks in medicines management.” from the report
Personalised support
Care records included people's abilities, needs and preferences. Staff were described as quick to notice changes in people's wellbeing.
“Staff provided personalised support to people. Care records were person-centred and included people's abilities as well as needs.” from the report
Support with health and choices
Staff worked with health professionals and supported people to access healthcare. People were involved in decisions about their care where they had capacity.
“One relative commented, "The staff are very quick to spot any changes in them, even just slight discoloration of skin, and they get onto the health professionals right away.” from the report
Quality checks and records
needs fixingSome actions were not kept under review, and training, assessment and care evaluation records were incomplete. The provider addressed the issues during the inspection, but inspectors recommended stronger checks to make improvements last.
“The provider's management recording systems were not always compete, for example the staff training matrix was not up to date, some assessment records were incomplete and some care evaluations lacked detail.” from the report
Notifiable events
needs fixingOn a small number of occasions, events that should have been reported to CQC had not been reported, although they had been reported to other relevant agencies.
“On a small number of occasions notifiable events had not been reported to CQC, although they had been reported to other relevant agencies.” from the report
Dementia-friendly environment
minorSome furnishings, including highly patterned flooring, were not always suitable for people living with dementia. Bathroom equipment also needed upgrading.
“The home was small enough for people to mobilise around but the furnishings, such as highly patterned flooring, were not always dementia-friendly.” from the report
Worn areas and bathing equipment
minorThe home was clean and comfortable, but some areas were worn and bathing equipment was due for replacement.
“The home was clean and comfortable but rather worn in places and bathing equipment was due for replacement.” from the report
- 01What has been done to keep quality-improvement actions under review and make sure they stay complete?
- 02How are you ensuring all notifiable events are reported to CQC on time?
- 03What is the timetable for replacing the bathing equipment and improving worn areas?
- 04What changes are planned to make the home more dementia-friendly, including the flooring and other furnishings?
- 05How will you record each person's end of life wishes and make sure staff can follow them?
This was a first, planned inspection of the newly registered service and covered all five CQC questions, including the premises and care provided. This explanation was written from the published report of 31 August 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, April 2022
Little Acre Care Home was inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong COVID-19 controls, with a minor waste-bin issue fixed immediately.
This was an unannounced, targeted inspection of infection prevention, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures. The inspection took place on 17 February 2022, with discussions with relatives on 22 February 2022.
Inspectors were assured that the home was testing people, staff and visitors, using protective equipment safely, following distancing and shielding rules, and managing infection risks. Relatives spoke positively about the visiting arrangements.
Inspectors were only somewhat assured about the layout and hygiene of the premises because there were not enough pedal-operated clinical waste bins. The provider took immediate steps to address this. The service was inspected but not rated.
Regular COVID-19 testing
The home had a testing programme for residents, staff and visitors. Staff were tested daily when they arrived.
“The provider had a COVID-19 testing programme in place for people, staff and visitors.” from the report
Visiting arrangements
Visitors were checked and tested before entering. Relatives said they were satisfied with how visits were managed.
“Relatives spoke positively about the visiting arrangements that were facilitated by the home.” from the report
Infection control resources
The home had a good supply of infection control resources and increased its cleaning schedules during the pandemic.
“The service had a good supply of infection control resources to support the home throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.” from the report
Clinical waste bins
minorThere were not enough pedal-operated clinical waste bins. The provider took immediate steps to address this, but inspectors signposted further resources for the premises.
“The service needed to make sure there were sufficient pedal-operated clinical waste bins in the home.” from the report
- 01Have all the pedal-operated clinical waste bins identified during the inspection been provided and kept in place?
- 02What COVID-19 testing is currently carried out for residents, staff and visitors?
- 03How are visitors currently checked and supported to visit residents safely?
- 04How do you check that cleaning schedules and infection control supplies remain adequate?
- 05What measures are in place if COVID-19 creates staffing pressures?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; it did not rate the other four questions. This explanation was written from the published report of 20 April 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.
Every inspection of Little Acre Care Home
4 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has improved, from Requires improvement to Good.
- August 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Requires improvement
- April 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- October 2019Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2017Goodup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2015Requires improvementSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: Requires improvementWell-led: Requires improvement
- December 2020
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 21 December 2020.
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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9 live-in carers within about an hour of Cumberland
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.
8 can care for a couple. 9 years' experience on average.
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