Acorn Grange

Updated 17 May 2023

The inspection

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection, we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by 1 inspector.

Service and service type

Acorn Grange is a ‘care home.’ People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Acorn Grange is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

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. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 10 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, 2 ancillary staff, 1 administrative assistant, 1 care co-ordinator and 4 support workers. We reviewed a range of records which included 3 people's care records and 7 people’s medication records. We looked at 4 staff files in relation to recruitment. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection we sought feedback from relatives. We spoke with 2 relatives on the telephone and received email feedback from 3 relatives.

Updated 17 May 2023

About the service

Acorn Grange is a residential care home providing personal care to up to 46 people. The service provides support to older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 37 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Medicines were mostly managed safely. The management team took immediate action during the inspection to address a lack of robust arrangements around one person’s medicines. The premises were clean and there were good infection control practices in place.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice, although we have made a recommendation around documenting best interest decisions more thoroughly.

People told us they felt safe living at Acorn Grange. People and relatives told us they were happy with the quality of care provided. Staff had completed safeguarding training and knew what action to take to keep people safe. Risks to people were identified and detailed assessments were in place, to ensure risks were managed safely.

The registered manager had good oversight of the service. Quality checks were effective in identifying and generating improvements to ensure the safety and quality of the care people received. People and relatives said the service was well managed and they would recommend the service to others. Staff worked effectively alongside other health and social care professionals to ensure people's needs were met and their health promoted and maintained.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (31 January 2018).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service remains good.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Acorn Grange on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.