Acacia Homecare Limited

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.

People told us they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity. Their comments included, “The carers are excellent; they are very kind and think for me”, “The carers are excellent, they are chatty and I can have a good laugh with them” and “They treat me with respect and involve me in my care.” Relatives echoed this and said, “[Family member] looks forward to them coming and they are more like friends, [family member] can be fussy, but they bend over backwards for [them] and are kind and caring” and “They involve themselves with [family member] and are chatty. They play board games or take [them] out on a Thursday.”

The registered manager told us they ensured people were always treated with kindness and compassion. They ensured there were regular conversations and reviews with people, so they could identify any concerns and deal with these promptly. A healthcare professional told us, “The staff I have worked with have been engaged, conscientious, and clearly appeared dedicated to their role which can be an indication of their commitment to the people they support. I have no concerns about their service. I would be comfortable having my own mother receive care from them.”

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.

Care plans detailed people’s wishes and preferences, and we saw evidence that the staff knew and respected these. The management and care staff were dedicated to ensuring people’s needs were met and often went above and beyond to ensure this.

The registered manager and staff knew people’s individual needs and were committed to ensuring they were treated as individuals.This included their faith and sexuality.

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

People’s choices and independence were encouraged and promoted. Their personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood and respected. These were sought during the initial assessment and recorded in their care plans.

People’s aspirations were identified and respected. People’s care plans included their background, preferred activities and what made them happy and fulfilled.

The registered manager told us people were always at the centre of every decision made at the service.

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.

The management and staff listened to people and provided flexible care to help ensure people’s needs were responded to. For example, if something happened during a visit, and the care worker had to stay with the person, the office staff would arrange for another care worker to step in and help. The registered manager told us, “For example, one person was on end of life. On Christmas day, [their] family could not get to [them]. We contacted a carer who spent the entire day with [them] until [they] passed.”

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

The registered manager spoke positively about the staff team. There were systems in place to identify if staff had any specific health or wellbeing needs. The registered manager told us, “We do what we can to support staff. If we get a good review about a carer, we send this to them. Boost their morale. We do an ‘angel of the month’ award. Somebody who has gone the extra mile. Also if someone has been extra helpful. One carer took [their] guitar to a customer who is interested in music.”

The registered manager told us, “We organise regular staff forums. This helps us listen to staff, address any concerns and resolve conflicts as it happens.”

Staff felt supported and spoke of being a good team. A senior staff member told us, “It’s the respect we all have here even for people who have never worked in care before. We make sure there’s a balance of good carers and train them well and support them a lot. We also do customer events and monthly awards for the carers. We look after the customers and the carers. I will meet the carers wherever they feel comfortable if they want to speak outside of the office.”

Staff told us they were supported to learn and progress. One staff member said, “I’m enjoying what I do. I waited so long to be a care lead as that was my dream job, but then this opportunity came along for [Management role]. Progression opportunities are amazing here.”

The service employed 2 wellbeing champions who offered additional emotional support to care workers who might be experiencing difficulties in their lives. The registered manager told us, “With regards to rotas, the service looks at people with children, who might need childcare support. We offered support to a member of staff who was experiencing problems working early mornings. Staff get incentive if they recommend people to the agency. We also have a party once a year for all the staff, and a customer party in the summer.”