Little Acorns

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.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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.

People were happy with the care they received. One person told us, “They are on the whole very good to me.” Staff enjoyed giving care to people and it was clear from their feedback that providing good care was their aim. The manager told us, “We have a very good team. We all encourage people to be as independent as possible.”

During the on-site assessment we saw and heard staff interacting with people in a meaningful way and heard laughter and social conversation between people and staff.

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.

People told us that staff knew them well and treated them as individuals. One person told us, “They are good to me, they are nice people.”

Staff got to know people well, how they liked to be supported and what they enjoyed doing. One member of staff told us, “We are doing our best and providing good care.”

People’s care plans contained details of their choices and preferences. These were kept under review and staff were aware of them.

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

People told us staff supported them to lead independent lives, and the support provided helped them to create the lives they wanted. One person told us, “I would like more independence, but there are some things I know I can’t do. I get to choose how I live my life.” Staff gave us examples of how they promoted people’s independence, such as encouraging people to maintain personal hygiene and everyday administrative tasks. We saw activities were planned individually for people. These activities encouraged people to improve their health, fitness, mental wellbeing and to make positive life choices. Staff made time to sit with people and talk about their interests.

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 were on hand to support people when they wanted and needed it. They responded quickly to people’s requests. Staff were aware of people’s needs and understood when people needed assistance. Feedback from people was monitored to ensure their needs were met and the manager regularly observed care and spoke with people to ensure they were happy.

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

Staff told us the management fostered a positive work environment and looked out for their wellbeing. One member of staff told us, “I am supported and feel safe in my role.” Staff were positive around the employee of the month programme and felt this was good for morale.