CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Acorns
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks, medicines, infection control, staffing and incidents were managed appropriately.
- Effective?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this visit. The previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Caring?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this visit. The previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Responsive?
- Good
- This area was not inspected during this visit. The previous rating was used when calculating the overall rating.
- Well-led?
- Good
- The home had clear leadership, quality checks and a person-centred culture. Managers worked with relatives, staff and other professionals.
What inspectors found, February 2023
The Acorns is rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-managed care, with some recent staffing challenges.
This was a focused inspection on 31 January 2023. One inspector visited, spoke with two people, five staff members and four relatives, and reviewed care, medicines, recruitment and management records.
The home was rated Good for Safe and Well-led. Inspectors found that people were protected from abuse, risks were assessed, medicines were managed safely and there were enough staff to meet people's needs.
People were supported to make choices, stay independent and take part in activities. Staff were described as kind and compassionate, and managers worked with health and social care professionals.
The other three areas, Effective, Caring and Responsive, were not inspected during this visit. Their previous ratings were used when calculating the overall Good rating, which remained unchanged from the previous inspection.
Kind care
Inspectors observed caring and supportive interactions. Staff understood people's communication, routines and needs.
“People received kind and compassionate care. Staff understood how to protect people from abuse.” from the report
Safe medicines
Staff were trained and checked as competent to give medicines. Records showed medicines were given as prescribed and recorded accurately.
“Medication Administration Records (MAR) showed people received their medicines as prescribed and these records were completed accurately.” from the report
Strong leadership
The manager was visible and approachable, and quality checks were used to monitor people's support and improve the service.
“Quality assurance systems were in place to maintain oversight of peoples support and improve performance.” from the report
Recent staffing challenges
minorA staff member said there had been some challenges in the previous few months. Inspectors nevertheless found enough staff to keep people safe and support activities.
“There's always someone about. It has been a bit challenging the last few months.” from the report
Support plans under review
minorThe manager was still completing a comprehensive review of people's support plans. Families may want to ask which plans have been reviewed and what changes are still needed.
“The registered manager was in the process of completing a comprehensive review of people's support plans.” from the report
- 01How far has the comprehensive review of people's support plans progressed, and what changes were made?
- 02What caused the staffing challenges mentioned in the report, and how are staffing levels monitored now?
- 03How will you support my relative to make choices and remain independent in daily life?
- 04How are medicines checked when people travel to or from the home or stay with family?
- 05When were Effective, Caring and Responsive last fully assessed, and what were their ratings?
This was a focused inspection of Safe and Well-led, including infection prevention and control; the other ratings were carried over from the previous inspection in 2017. This explanation was written from the published report of 25 February 2023 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 2017
The Acorns was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care, with one gap in assessing the risks of having one waking night staff member.
Inspectors visited on 27 September 2017 with 24 hours' notice. One inspector spent time with all four residents, observed care and communication, and spoke with staff, the regional manager, the registered manager, two family members and people living at the home where possible. They also reviewed care plans, risk assessments, medicine records, staff files, policies and the building.
The home was rated Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough trained staff, safe medicines management, detailed care plans, good healthcare support and respectful relationships. People were supported to make choices, take part in activities and build independence.
The main shortfall was that the provider had not completed an organisational risk assessment for having only one waking staff member at night. Inspectors did not find that anyone had been put at risk, and the regional manager agreed to address this immediately. The report says the previous inspection in July 2015 also rated the service Good in every area, and that this standard had been sustained.
Personalised support
Care plans included people's routines, communication, preferences, abilities and goals. Residents and their relatives were involved in planning and reviews where possible.
“People's care plans contained detailed information about their specific needs, personal preferences, preferred routines, personalities, abilities, and how staff should minimise any risks while still allowing people to lead full and active lives.” from the report
Kind relationships
Inspectors saw staff treating people with dignity and respect. Staff worked hard to understand non-verbal communication and help people enjoy activities and relationships.
“We saw staff were supportive, compassionate and caring in their relationships with people.” from the report
Safe care
Risks were assessed, medicines were managed safely and staff understood safeguarding procedures. Incidents were reviewed so lessons could be learned.
“Risks to people's health or well-being were robustly assessed and managed.” from the report
Activities and independence
People were supported to choose activities, use local facilities, maintain friendships and develop skills such as cooking, shopping and laundry.
“People benefitted from personalised activities that met their choices and interests.” from the report
Strong oversight
The home had regular audits, feedback systems and action plans. Records were clear, detailed and securely stored.
“Systems to monitor quality and safety were up to date and thorough.” from the report
Night staffing risk assessment
needs fixingThere was only one waking staff member at night, and the provider had not recorded an organisational risk assessment for this arrangement. Inspectors did not find that people had been put at risk, and the regional manager agreed to address it immediately.
“The provider did not have an organisational risk assessment in place for this.” from the report
Recognising complaints
minorAn easy-read complaints process was available. However, for some people who could not communicate verbally, staff relied on interpreting changes in behaviour to know if something was wrong.
“For other people staff were reliant on being able to interpret the person's behaviour to identify of they were unhappy about something.” from the report
- 01What organisational risk assessment was completed after the inspection about having one waking staff member at night?
- 02What happens if the night staff member needs urgent help or cannot safely support someone alone?
- 03How do you recognise and record unhappiness or complaints from people who do not communicate verbally?
- 04How often are staff training, including Mental Capacity Act training, refreshed?
- 05How are residents and relatives involved in reviewing support plans and activity choices?
This was an announced comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC areas, with observations, discussions and checks of care, staffing, medicines, records, policies and the premises. This explanation was written from the published report of 3 November 2017 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 The Acorns
3 rated inspections over 8 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- February 2023Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- November 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2014
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 14 April 2014.
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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28 live-in carers within about an hour of West Sussex
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 £1,020 to £1,170 a week. 23 can care for a couple. 11 years' experience on average.
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.