Nottingham care home upgraded to outstanding by CQC

A Nottingham care home has been rated outstanding by the Care Quality Commission after inspectors praised its compassionate culture, strong leadership and highly personalised approach to supporting residents.

Acorn House, which is run by Acacia Care (Nottingham) Ltd, was upgraded from good to outstanding following an inspection in July. The home provides nursing and personal care, including support for people living with dementia, and had 54 residents at the time of the inspection.

Inspectors rated the home outstanding for effectiveness, caring, responsiveness and leadership, while safety was rated good. The overall rating has consequently improved from good to outstanding.

The CQC found that residents received highly personalised and evidence-based care designed to promote their wellbeing, independence and quality of life. People told inspectors that staff always had time for them, while residents were supported to make their own choices and decisions wherever possible.

Inspectors were particularly positive about the sense of community within the home. Residents had developed genuine friendships with one another, while relationships between staff and relatives were strong enough in some cases to continue after a resident had died.

Activities were developed with input from residents and designed to support both physical and emotional wellbeing. Inspectors highlighted a summer fair organised jointly by activity coordinators and people living at the home as an example of the way residents were encouraged to participate in life at Acorn House.

The inspection also found that staff supported residents to maintain good nutrition and hydration and that care plans and risk assessments relating to people’s health needs followed best-practice guidance. Strong relationships with healthcare professionals meant changes in residents’ health could be identified quickly and appropriate care arranged, which the CQC said often reduced the need for hospital admission.

Leadership was another area singled out for praise. Inspectors found robust systems were being used effectively to maintain standards and improve outcomes, while managers had created an open and inclusive culture in which diversity and people’s human rights were supported.

Amanda Lyndon, CQC deputy director of adult social care in the Midlands, said the inspection had found an “incredibly high standard of care” supported by strong leadership and a compassionate culture.

She said everyone at Acorn House should be extremely proud of the service being provided and encouraged other care services to look at the inspection report to see what they could learn from its approach.

The outstanding rating places Acorn House among the highest-rated adult social care services under the CQC’s inspection framework and reflects improvements across several areas since its previous assessment.

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