AcreCare Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff knew their purpose and the purpose of the service. A staff member said, “Our values are privacy, dignity and respect and I live up to them, I love my job.” Another said, “Our mission is making life better for people, care, respect and commitment. Being there for people.”

The registered manager instilled the vision and culture into staff from the moment they were employed. The registered manager told us how they liked to employ people with experience, but also people with no experience of care, as they had no bad habits. The registered manager expected the best from their staff and people told us that was noticed in the care they received. “You can tell the carers are well supported by their manager. The service is so well organised, we never have to worry.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The registered manager was also a carer and frequently spent time caring for people. They told us this enabled them to not only see people and the care they received but to spend time with staff. A staff member said, “I’m really happy. I find it refreshing, the office girls are really welcoming and all staff go on care calls, which is lovely, as all staff know the job.”

The registered manager gave responsibility to staff to manage areas of the service and staff appreciated the trust placed in them. Staff told us how the manager ensured staff were happy and supported so they in turn could provide good care. The registered manager told us ways they worked to ensure staff got to know each other, such as hosting ‘Toastie Tuesday’ for staff, and how they rewarded staff so they knew they were appreciated. The staff team was diverse, and the registered manager knew them all well and supported them to work to their best ability.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Staff told us communication with the office staff, and the registered manager was excellent. They said it was easy to give suggestions, and they always felt they would be heard. A staff member told us how approachable the manager was and told us a personal story of how the manager had been flexible when asked. When asked about the registered manager a staff member said, “They are very approachable and helpful, all the office staff are.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The registered manager valued diversity, and we saw this in the mix of staff employed at the service. Staff were employed from various ethnic backgrounds, genders and sexualities. The registered manager worked hard to ensure the staff felt included and there was a strong sense of team within the service. A staff member told us, “Staff morale is really good, everyone seems happy. I haven’t worked anywhere else, but other staff say it’s the best place they have worked at. They say it’s the best company to work for.”

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The entire senior team, including the registered manager were trained and able to provide care. However the staff roles were clear and staff understood the hierarchy of the service. The registered manager monitored and audited care, both actively each day using the electronic care system, and via collected data and feedback from people and families. There had been a delay in some notifications being sent to CQC, this had no effect of people, and the registered manager told us they would ensure audits were in place in future to avoid this. Staff were confident in their roles and equally confident to request help when needed, a staff member told us when asked about the registered manager, “She’s the best person I have ever worked for.” Another staff member said, “I’m really happy. I find it refreshing, the office girls are really welcoming, and all staff go on care calls which is lovely as all staff know the job.” The registered manager explained to us how she kept the staff up to date with any changes, and how auditing care improved support for people.

The registered manager told us how she was in discussion with the local council to improve environmental sustainability by reducing waste, including paper waste, and lowering staff mileage.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The provider and the registered manager worked with other healthcare professionals and with other support services. The registered manager was passionate about providing good care for people and when this meant they needed help other than that provided by Acre Care, she was happy to accommodate it. Staff told us, “We are a really good service, we have good relationships with physiotherapists, occupational therapists, the local authority, and community nurses; other care companies will recommend us, we had three people that we took on in the last week where other companies couldn’t manage their needs.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

Staff were encouraged to learn and to share knowledge with the rest of the team. Staff told us they had good relationships with each other so that they were confident to guide other staff and show them best practice, or other ways to perform tasks. A staff member said, “I would stop any poor procedure I saw, then raise it with the registered manager and they would lead from there. Luckily at Acre Care we have a good group, if we think things can be done safer we would all speak up and we don’t take offence when told.” Staff felt they had access to all the training they needed and were passionate about providing care the way people wanted it. They sought out the best ways to support people. A staff member said, “We are really approachable. Families think we are approachable, they will come to us. I like that. We change care plans a lot after we trial them and get family feedback, they will ask us and we change things to suit the client’s needs.” Staff used various ‘chat groups’ to share anonymised information where it helped to improve care.