Archived: PCAS Kent Ltd

PCAS Kent ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses in the community and provides care and support to people living in 'supported living' settings, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support. This was the service first inspection since they registered with CQC in August 2017.

Not everyone using PCAS Kent Ltd receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting eight people with their personal care needs. This included older people, younger adults and people with complex health needs such as epilepsy, dementia and mental health. People who use the service live in Gravesend, Isle of Sheppey, Maidstone and the surrounding areas.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The registered manager, who was also the provider and director was supported in their role by a director, finance manager, office administrator and a team of four supported living managers. The provider was also actively recruiting for a service manager, who would have the responsibility for the day to day management of the service.

People were at the heart of the service. Staff demonstrated thorough understanding of each person's individual needs and preferences and used this knowledge to provide them with flexible, responsive support which enhanced the quality of their lives.

People, their relatives, health and social care representatives consistently told us staff were very caring and always treated people with great respect and empathy. People told us staff knew how to meet their needs, were kind, always respectful and well trained. Staff were empowered to work creatively and to develop positive relationships with people. Staff were proud of the support that they provided to people and the positive outcomes that they had observed.

People were safe using the service. People told us they felt safe and comfortable when staff were in their home and when they received care. Recruitment practices ensured the right staff were recruited to support people to stay safe. Staff told us they were happy in their jobs and had access to training. They said they felt well supported and had regular opportunities to discuss their work. The rotas reflected the support people required to maintain the choices they had made, and as a result the staffing arrangements were flexible to meet those needs. A number of people received care from staff on a one to one basis and records showed that people received their care in the way they needed to maintain their safety.

People were supported safely with their medicines and told us they were happy with the support they received. Staff completed medicines administration records (MAR) after giving people their medicines. MAR sheets were audited to ensure people had received their medicines as prescribed.

Support plans and risk assessments were developed from the initial assessment information. Support plans were comprehensive, individualised and developed with each person. They described the support the person needed to manage their day to day health needs. Risks to people were identified and guidance and control measures were in place to enable staff to support people safely.

People's communication needs were met. The service was complying with the Accessible Information Standard (AIS). The AIS applies to people using the service who have information and communication needs relating to a disability, impairment or sensory loss. Information was provided to people in an accessible format to enable them to make decisions about their care and support.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice. People's care records documented whether they had capacity to make specific decisions. Staff told us they gained consent from people before carrying out personal care and respected people's choices.

People's health and well-being was monitored by staff and they were supported to access healthcare services in a timely manner when they needed to. The service worked in partnership with health and social care representatives to meet people's needs and helped reduce avoidable hospital admissions. The service was responsive and quick to adapt to meet people's changing needs. People were supported to have sufficient amounts to eat and drink to maintain a balanced diet.

The registered manager and director were prominent role models. They took a leading role in demonstrating the values and standards they expected staff to demonstrate by focussing on continuous improvement, leading to positive outcomes for people.

The service used feedback as an opportunity to learn and improve. People were consulted about how their care was delivered and given opportunities to feed back about how they felt the service was doing. People told us they were completely satisfied with the service they received and said they had no reason to complain about the service but were confident any complaint would be handled properly if they did.

There were quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and to drive improvements.