- Care home
Tree Vale Limited Acorn House
Assessment report published 31 July 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 28 May 2026 to the 17 June 2026.
Tree Vale Limited Acorn House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to 33 people aged 65 and over. The service can support up to 33 people.
The service was overall safe, with a culture that encouraged openness and learning from incidents. Staff understood safeguarding responsibilities and took appropriate action to protect people from harm. Risks were assessed and managed to support people’s independence. The environment was clean, secure, and supported safe care, and infection control practices were effective. However, improvements were needed to ensure comprehensive environmental risk assessments were completed for inside and outside the premises, and stronger processes and oversight for the management of medicines.
Staff provided effective care, based on people’s assessed needs, which were regularly reviewed and updated. Staff worked well with healthcare professionals to deliver coordinated and evidence-based care, supporting people’s health, nutrition, and independence. People and relatives felt confident in the care provided. However, improvements were required to make care plans more person-centred reflecting people’s preferences and stronger governance processes and oversight of the electronic care records and daily care entry recording were required.
The provider demonstrated a strong caring approach, with staff consistently treating people with kindness, compassion, and respect. People felt comfortable, and feedback from relatives was positive. Staff knew people well and provided person-centred care that respected dignity, and privacy. People were supported to maintain independence and make choices about their daily lives.
Communication with people and their families was effective, and there were opportunities to provide feedback and be involved in decisions. The provider worked well with external services to maintain continuity of care.
The governance systems were not always fully effective in identifying and addressing risks, particularly in relation to medicines and record keeping and the new electronic recording system for care provided, meaning further strengthening of oversight and quality assurance processes was needed. The service was well led, with a positive culture supported by visible and approachable management. The registered manager responded to feedback and took action to address issues.
People's experience of this service
People felt safe living at the home and spoke positively about the staff. Without exception, feedback was staff were kind, caring and supportive. One relative told us, “[Family member] is very safe here. The staff are lovely and look after them well. They are very caring and kind.” We observed staff interacting with people in a kind and respectful way. Staff knew people well and understood their individual needs and preferences. People told us there were generally enough staff available to meet their needs. One relative said, “They really do deserve a lot of praise, and I know they are appreciated by families. It’s just the care, attention and real genuine love they give to all the residents.” Families told us care plans were developed with input from people and their families. Feedback indicated people felt their needs were met. People told us they were encouraged to remain independent, and staff promoted choice in day-to-day decisions. People and their relatives told us they felt able to raise concerns and regular meetings and surveys were used to gather feedback and involve people and relatives in the service. One person said, “The manager is very friendly. I have no complaints whatsoever, but I would feel very comfortable speaking to them about anything if I needed to.”