Acacia Homecare Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

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

This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred 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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

People we spoke with knew who the registered manager was and were positive about them and the service. One person told us, “The manager does a spot check visit every 3 months; they also ring me and ask how I’m getting on with the carers.” Relatives added, “I would give the agency 10/10, the carer seems skilled and knows how to do [their] job, and the manager does spot checks. There is a facility to check up on things hour by hour by we have decided to entrust [family member’s] care to the carer.”

The management team told us they ensured the staff were valued and promoted people’s individuality, protected their rights and enabled them to thrive. Care workers told us there was a good and positive culture within the service where people and staff had a good rapport, and the atmosphere was one of respect and care. Their comments included, “I enjoy working with Acacia Homecare and it is a good place to work. My managers provide a family environment” and “I would describe the staff morale as generally positive. We work as a team, support each other and focus on providing good quality care to our service users.”

The provider set a culture that valued reflection, learning and improvement. The registered manager effectively used staff supervision and regular team meetings as a platform for staff to raise any concerns and an opportunity to share their views and opinions. They told us, “The values of the company are honesty, good communication, dignity and respect. Our tag line is ‘we want to support you to do what you want to do and in the way you want to do it.’ This is ‘drummed in’ to the staff from day one. We reinforce these areas during meetings. We demonstrate and role model these values.”

The provider planned to raise the profile of the agency, to be more well-known and recognisable. The registered manager explained, “We are looking to expand, and offer supported living. Our plan is to become outstanding, continue to grow, and be part of the community. We are moving office hopefully soon. This will be nearer the town centre and more part of the community.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

People and relatives were positive about the management team. People told us they felt listened to and their concerns taken seriously. Relatives stated, “I’m in good contact with the office and they send out a rota on who is coming and keep me informed. They will listen to what I have to say and make it better” and “I have a good relationship with the office. [Senior staff] visited the other day and has ordered a new commode for [family member]. I think that’s good.”

The management team was visible and supportive of the staff. Care workers told us, “I feel supported in my role. Through my supervision, trainings, regular communication with my manager, support from my colleagues. Whenever I need advice, I go to my manager and we chat, which brings a lot of difference”, “I feel very supported in my role” and “My manager is approachable and fair to all staff. I can approach [them] by email, call or even face to face. [they] listen to me and [they are] fair to everyone.”

The registered manager was experienced and had worked their way up from care worker. They had worked in residential care as well as domiciliary care, had achieved recognised health and social care qualifications and had taught a range of subjects in a college, subsequently becoming head of department.

The registered manager felt well supported by their line manager. They told us, “[Provider] is very caring and would do anything [they] can to support the staff as well. We have a meeting once a fortnight. If I have any suggestions, I can discuss these with [them]. [They] will listen. [They have] a lot of faith in my decision-making and what is good for our customers. I am the people person and give that balance.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard. People were given information when they started using the service about how to raise a concern and said they knew how to make a complaint. There were regular meetings to enable people and staff to speak up and report any concerns.

Staff knew about the provider’s whistleblowing policy and would not hesitate to use this to benefit staff and people living at the home. A care worker told us, “I have a copy of the whistleblowing procedure… whistleblowing means raising concerns about unsafe, illegal or poor care practises to protect people from harm. It helps to ensure that people receive safe and high-quality care. I would follow the whistleblowing policy given by my organisation. I would contact senior management or the appropriate authority.”

The provider had processes in place to support staff to speak up. This included supervision meetings, staff meetings and a whistleblowing policy. A care worker told us, “The team meetings are held every 3 months. I attend all the meetings. The meetings are quite useful and informative because my manager discusses updates, shares information, reviews care, improves how we work together, introduces new carers and asks the staff if we need any changes. Moreover, changes and improvements are done by our manager after hearing the staff.”

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

Staff told us they enjoyed working in a diverse team. The managers treated their staff equally and supported them to meet their individual needs. The provider had policies to promote equality, diversity and inclusion and to protect staff from discrimination and harassment. The registered manager told us, “We do have specific requests around festivals, we do our best to accommodate these, if staff need time off. Ten staff have come to us from sponsorship. We have meetings for them so they can discuss any cultural needs, and what they might need support with. Something simple like making someone a cup of tea for people. Preparing food for people might be a struggle for some staff.

Some clients for whom English is not their first language were paired with care workers who shared the same language. The registered manager told us, “This has worked very well. People have different beliefs too. It’s about us knowing what they need and meet their needs. One person has a link to the local church. The care worker helps them to access this.”

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Staff at all levels understood their roles and their level of accountability. Office staff and care staff worked well together and understood how their duties impacted and supported the other.

Staff, people, relatives and external professionals had confidence in the leadership of the service. A professional told us, “The managers and directors are highly responsive. If there is ever a minor issue in our system, they quickly identify it and bring it to our attention, reflecting how closely they monitor quality.”

There were systems in place for monitoring the quality of the service and these were effective. Action was taken when audits identified the need for improvement.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement. The registered manager told us, “We meet with other franchises to share information, ideas and any relevant documents which can be useful to others. For example, the form for medicines errors, security concerns etc. this has proved to reduce the level of concerns.”

The registered manager told us they worked with healthcare professionals so people’s needs would be met and had a good working relationship with them. People’s care plans reflected recommendations from healthcare professionals were recorded and followed by the care workers. A professional told us, “Acacia has been our most proactive customer. The quality of their feedback and their requests has been exceptional, demonstrating their commitment to getting things right and ensuring safety, particularly in their processes… with over 20 years of experience in the NHS, I am consistently impressed by the importance they place on accuracy in their processes.”

The provider had systems and processes to ensure people’s needs were reviewed regularly. The provider listened to feedback from professionals and where a need was identified, amended their policies and procedures to promote effective communication and partnership working.

The registered manager told us they ensured the staff learned from healthcare professionals involved in people’s care to help them better understand people’s needs.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The provider was keen to provide information to the community about social care to challenge any misconceptions people may have. A senior member of staff told us, “We are trying to bridge the gap with young people. We go to local schools to get them more engaged and let them know that care is more than personal care.” During our visit, we observed the office staff setting up a camera for a Podcast. A local school student had joined some of the staff to take part in the podcast.

The provider was keen to continue developing the staff forums. The registered manager told us, “Staff forums are a current project. This might merge into a coffee morning for staff. Staff have raised they don’t see each other very much in a social way. I plan to get staff more involved in the development of the company, so they feel more involved.”

During staff forums, concerns about newly recruited staff shadowing emerged. The registered manager told us, “Some newly recruited staff had reported they had a great experience shadowing more experienced workers. However, others had told us they had a bad experience and went home crying. This was disappointing to hear. It made us sit back and think about it. We had a discussion with the team, spot checks, and who would be the best people to shadow. We narrowed it down to 7 carers, offered training and how to support new staff. They also fed back their expectations. From this we have created a new shadowing policy.” This showed the provider listened to staff and made improvements as needed.