Acorn Care Services

Acorn Care Services is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care for people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection, 31 people were receiving personal care support from the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People received exceptional care and support from a staff team who valued and celebrated individuality and diversity. People spoke of staff being ‘part of our family’ and said how their visits got the day ‘off to a good start’. One person said, “I am blessed to have this agency”.

Staff worked exceptionally well together to involve people, and their family members in the planning and delivery of care. One person told us, “They are very respectful and as I get stronger I can do more for myself and they are pleased for me”. Another said, “They do silly extra things like getting things from a high shelf or putting dishes away. We all have our ways and they fit in with me”.

Care was highly personalised to meet people's needs. Care plans provided detailed information and guidance for staff on people's care and support needs, likes and dislikes, and exactly how they wished to receive personal care. People's communication needs were identified and planned for. People expressed confidence that they could raise any issues or concerns with any member of staff or the management team and that these would be addressed.

Staff were incredibly proud of the service. One staff member told us, “We are a small agency, we know our clients. It is nice to make a real difference and keep someone in their own home as long as possible, you look forward to seeing them all”. Staff felt supported and received regular training and supervision. There was very low turnover of staff which was testimony to the strong and supportive leadership and management.

People benefited from a well led service. The registered manager had shaped a culture where people were at the heart of the service. There was a clear leadership and management structure in place which helped to ensure staff were clear about their role and responsibilities. The service was well organised and had a range of systems in place to ensure its smooth operation and to support good communication.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care staff were well informed about risks to people's health or wellbeing and knew how to deliver their care safely. People said staff arrived on time and they were informed in advance of which carers would be supporting them. Staff supported people to take their medicines or reminded them when they were due. People were protected from the risk of infection. Staff wore disposable aprons and gloves when providing people with personal care. Everyone we spoke with felt safe in the company of staff.

In feedback to the provider, one person had commented, ‘For me, you and staff cannot be improved upon. Excellent service by everyone’.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 30 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run

People received care from staff that were kind and friendly, committed to providing the care and support people wanted to enable them to stay in their own homes. Staff had the skills and knowledge to provide the care and support people needed and were supported by a registered manager and care manager who were receptive to ideas and committed to providing a high standard of care.

Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns. People told us that they felt cared for safely in their own home. Risks had been assessed and systems were put in place to mitigate any risk.

People had care plans that were personalised to their individual needs and wishes. Records contained detailed information to assist the care staff to provide care and support in an individualised manner that respected each person's individual requirements and promoted treating people with dignity and respect.

Staff understood their role in caring for people with limited or no capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and ensured that whenever they could people consented to their everyday care needs.

Staffing levels ensured that people received the support they required safely and at the times they needed. The recruitment practice protected people from being cared for by staff that were unsuitable to work in their home.

The registered manager was approachable and continually monitored the quality of the service provided. Staff and people were confident that issues would be addressed and that any concerns they had would be listened to.

We found that people received care that met their needs. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.

We saw that people were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. This was because the provider had robust recruitment and vetting procedures.

People and staff we spoke with told us they had never had cause to raise complaints but were well aware of the procedures in place to do so. There were clear complaints and grievance policies in place which were explained to people. People and staff said they felt comfortable that they could approach the manager if they had any concerns.

We saw that people were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were maintained.

Peoples' needs were assessed and care and support was planned and delivered in line with their agreed plan of care and support. People said the care and support provided by Acorn Care Services met their needs as well as their welfare and safety.

People told us they felt safe using the support and care services provided by staff. We found staff who were able to identify possible types of abuse relevant to the service and had received safeguarding training from the provider.

Staff told us they were well supported, supervised, trained and developed. We were also able to find documentary evidence of this and thorough, safe staff selection and recruitment procedures.

The provider had systems in place to effectively monitor and assess the quality and safety of the service. People told us they were regularly consulted and surveyed about the service, care and support they received. The provider took account of complaints to improve the service, and listened to service users and their representatives.