We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of an inspector and two Experts by Experience on the first day. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. Two inspectors returned to the service on the second day to complete the inspection.

Service and service type

Acorn Court Care Home is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection and sought feedback from the local authority who commissioned the home's services. Due to technical problems, the provider did not send us the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We observed how staff provided care and communicated with people. We spoke with eight people who used the service and 11 relatives. We spoke with five care staff and an activities' co-ordinator, a housekeeper, maintenance person, the deputy manager, a training advisor, the registered manager and three healthcare professionals. These discussions helped us understand how people experienced the service.

We reviewed a range of records. These included 11 people's care records and 10 records relating to staff recruitment, training and supervision. We also looked at information relating to the management of the service, including the provider's policies and procedures, people's medicine administration records (MARs) and quality assurance records.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate the evidence found during the inspection.