The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has upgraded Acorn House in Nottingham from good to outstanding, following a July inspection.
Acorn House, run by Acacia Care (Nottingham) Ltd, provides accommodation for people who require nursing or personal care, and those living with dementia. At the time of inspection, 54 people were living at the home.
As well as the overall rating, the ratings for effective, caring, responsive, and well-led, all improved from good to outstanding. The ratings for safe and responsive remained good and outstanding, respectively.
Amanda Lyndon, CQC deputy director of adult social care in the Midlands, said:
“When we inspected Acorn House, we found a service providing an incredibly high standard of care off the back of strong leadership and a culture of compassion, leading to the best results for people.
“People described staff as always having time for them. The service had developed a strong community, people formed genuine friendships with each other, and relationships between staff and relatives continued even after their loved ones had sadly passed.
“Staff were excellent at encouraging people to get involved with activities that supported their health and wellbeing. Activity plans were innovative and always had input from people. We saw a Summer Fair organised by the activity coordinators and people that was widely successful.
“Everyone at Acorn House should be extremely proud of the service they provide. Other services should look to this report to see if there’s anything to learn from it.”
Inspectors found:
The service was highly effective in meeting people’s needs, with care and support delivered in a personalised, responsive, and evidence-based way that promoted well-being, independence, and quality of life.People were treated with respect and kindness by a staff team who enabled people to make their own choices and decisions where they were able to.Staff supported people to maintain a good nutritional and fluid intake to support their health and wellbeing. Staff put care plans and risk assessments in place for people’s identified health needs that always followed best practice guidance.The service had excellent links with healthcare professionals which were effective in ensuring people received the care needed and often reduced the need for a hospital admission, because any deterioration was identified promptly.Leaders had systems and process that were robust and used effectively to improve outcomes and maintain high standards.The service had an open culture, which embraced diversity and was inclusive for all. The management team led by example, and staff understood the importance of upholding the values of the organisation. People’s human rights were fully embraced and supported.