Acacia Homecare Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

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

This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

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 made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

People told us they were involved in initial and on-going assessments. One person said, “[Staff member] from the office came and asked a lot of questions including things [family member] likes to do. [Staff member] is very good.” Records were person-centred and reflected what was important to the person.

The provider ensured each person was assessed so they would know their needs before providing care. Initial assessments were comprehensive and clear covering all aspects of the person and the care they required. Care plans were developed from the initial assessment. The registered manager told us, “Customer care leads do the initial assessments. They go to the person’s home, meet with them and relatives. There is a full assessment of everything relevant. They then discuss a package of care which they think will suit the person. A document is then sent to the person and family, with the agreed information of the care package and cost.”

Before care began, the team looked at care worker availability and routine. They then negotiated a time that worked for everyone. Once agreed, the care plan was set up on the app which the family could access.

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

People were involved in developing their care plans. One person told us, “They help me make good choices.” A relative added, “[Family member] has been noticeably different since starting with the agency. [They are] clean and comfortable. [They] look fresh and staff help [them] make choices and facilitate what [they] want.”

Care plans were personalised to people’s individual needs and provided guidance to ensure their care was effective. The registered manager told us they were part of professional networks, and this helped to ensure they kept up to date with good practice.

Staff supported people with their nutrition and hydration needs and helped ensure people’s preferences were met. The registered manager told us, “Some clients do their own meals. Some families do this. Others prefer being supported by care workers. Some from scratch, and others just warm meals up. A few have meals on wheels delivered.” Care workers received training in food hygiene to help ensure they followed good practice when supporting people with their meals.

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

People told us staff worked well together and communicated with them well to meet their needs. One person said, “In the morning they shower me then in the afternoon they help me go to the toilet and make a sandwich, I never feel rushed and I just tell them what I want and they get on with it, they take notice of what I say and I can ask them questions and we just build it up from there.” Relatives added, “They have an app so my brother and I can see who is booked to see [family member] and what has happened. Their reports are excellent and comprehensive” and “They keep me updated, for example [family member] banged [their] hand and bruised it this morning and they sent me a message straightaway telling me about this.”

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

People told us the staff knew their health needs and met these. Care records contained detailed information about people’s health conditions and how these might affect people. The staff reported any concerns in relation to people’s health and these were addressed appropriately, for example a referral to the GP and district nurses’ team.

One person was supported by care workers to reduce smoking and had requested for cigarettes to be kept in a locked box and given to them at an agreed time. This has helped them reduce the number of cigarettes they smoked.

The staff made referrals to GPs, nurses and other healthcare professionals as necessary. Some people were escorted to appointments by care workers if this was part of their care package.

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

There was evidence of regular reviews and action being taken immediately following any changes to people’s health needs. The service worked closely with healthcare professionals who knew people well and followed their advice to help meet people’s changing needs.

The provider gave people and relatives the opportunity to feedback about the care they received, and rate specific care workers. The registered manager told us, “One person is very specific about everything, and will complain if something is not done to perfection. Additional training is being provided to staff about how to support the person in a positive way.”

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

The provider was meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People told us staff asked for their consent and involved them in decisions about their care and support. They said their choices were respected. People had signed their care plans to evidence they agreed with the content of these.

The staff were well informed of the principles of the MCA. They told us they always sought consent before supporting people.