Acorn Lodge Residential Care Home

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 that 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 meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their 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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff were observed to be kind and caring towards people and respected their privacy. A social care partner told us, “When I have visited, I have observed staff to be kind, respectful and empathetic towards residents. Staff and residents seem to have mutually respectful relationships and enjoy positive interactions. I have not had any concerns with how people are treated and I am always received positively by staff.” Another added, “The staff are very kind, they know the people who live there very well.”

The manager was regularly at the home and carried out their own observations of staff interactions, consulting with people living at the home about staff conduct. When people were asked if staff were kind to them, they nodded or said, “Yes.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff spoke to people about their day and had a good understanding of people’s histories, families, likes and dislikes. A social care partner said, “Staff have extensive knowledge of the resident I visit. They know the habits and routines of the person.”

People were able to personalise their own bedrooms. They were asked to choose the colour scheme and décor, and were able to display photographs and other sentimental items. One person had a fridge in their bedroom; another had recently had their bedroom painted pink.

There was some information about people’s histories and backgrounds in care plans, though information about specific preferences or personal, social and religious needs was found to lack adequate detail.

Following feedback, the manager explained they had amended the pre-assessment form to capture more detail about people’s personal histories and other information.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

The home had a visiting policy in place, and people were able to have visitors at the home if they chose to.

Activities staff attended several times each week to enable people to go shopping, the pub, or for a walk in the local area. One person enjoyed going to the local theme park and was provided support to be able to do this. They told us, “I like going to the [theme park] once a week and I go out shopping with staff.”

People told us there were not always enough activities, but staff explained people sometimes declined to take part due to their fluctuating mood. In-house activities such as cards, dominoes and arts and crafts were available, and people were supported to explore hobbies such as jewellery making.

Following feedback, the manager confirmed they would remind staff to record any declined activities.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff knew people well and could recognise when people were in pain or distress, responding appropriately. One social care partner said, “[Staff] are responsive to individual’s needs and go out of their way, above and beyond, to support people in meeting their needs emotionally and physically.” Another added, “They know the residents very well and act according to any deterioration they may be experiencing. For example, mental health support or physical health.”

During our visit, we could see from records staff had called the Carehome team, 111 or 999 for any clinical deterioration or medical emergencies.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff confirmed they felt valued and told us the provider gave them gifts at Christmas or small, ad-hoc gestures to show their appreciation. A staff member said, “I feel valued and respected at work.”

The manager was supportive if staff were struggling at work or in their personal lives. When asked if they felt well supported a staff member told us, “Absolutely, I can go to [the manager] anytime with a problem.” The manager was able to seek advice and guidance on behalf of staff were necessary, from the human resource (HR) team.