Tree Vale Limited Acorn House

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

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 treated people with kindness, compassion and respect, always maintaining their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with respect.

People and their relatives spoke very positively about the staff team. One relative said, “The carers are lovely. They look after her and us as well.” Another relative told us, “I sometimes listen to staff speaking to other residents when they don’t realise I am there, and it is very reassuring. They always take their time with people, and nothing is too much trouble.” One person said, “The staff are very lovely and very approachable,” and another commented, “The carers are good. They look after me well. I feel like I am at home.”

We observed staff interacting with people in a kind and respectful way. Staff promoted people’s dignity when providing care. For example, they spoke discreetly when offering support with personal care and ensured doors were closed to maintain privacy.

The provider delivered person-centred care, ensuring people were treated as individuals. Care, support and treatment reflected people’s needs, preferences, strengths, abilities, culture and backgrounds.

People and their relatives told us they were well cared for and staff knew them well. One person said, “They look after me very well. We have a laugh; I can chat to people and have company all day. I like it here; it’s like a home from home.”

People were observed to be using their skills they had in their working careers such as landscape gardening; one person was observed maintaining the flowerpots and baskets, clearing the plant troughs and accessing the shed for brushes and trowels. Another person was invited to chair ‘resident’ meetings which they particularly enjoyed.

The provider promoted people’s independence and ensured they had choice and control over their care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were supported to remain as independent as possible. Several people living at the home were able to manage many tasks themselves and told us they felt reassured knowing staff were there.

One person said, “I let them know when I want to go to bed and get up.” We observed people moving around the home freely, including between communal rooms and outdoor areas. People were seen independently approaching and knocking on the kitchen door to communicate with staff.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded promptly to people’s needs and took action to reduce any discomfort, concern or distress.

People told us staff were generally available when they needed support. One person said, “Anything I want, I get, so I have nothing to complain about. I feel very safe and content here, and the carers are brilliant. I could not ask for more.”

Staff knew people well and were usually able to anticipate their needs and respond quickly.

The provider promoted the wellbeing of staff and supported them to deliver person-centred care. The registered manager valued the staff team and told us they aimed to be supportive and flexible when needed. The registered manager told us they had a flexible approach to the rota and would provide advice, guidance and practical support where this was needed. Staff told us they were happy working at the service and felt appreciated.