We carried out a review of the data available to us about Aspirations Kent on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Aspirations Kent, you can give feedback on this service.
Aspirations Kent is a supported living service for people with a learning disability. People lived in houses and shared a house and amenities such as kitchens, bathrooms and lounges. People received care and support to help them live independently in the community. There were 9 people using the service at the time of our inspection.
Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
The provider had oversight of the service. The registered manager completed regular checks on the quality of care people received. People and staff were asked for their views, which were listened to and acted on to improve the service each person received. Records of people’s care were accurate and complete.
The registered manager understood their legal responsibilities and had shared information with us and others when they needed to.
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. People were involved in making decisions about their lives and were working towards achieving their goals.
People were protected from the risks of harm and abuse and any concerns they or staff had were listened to and acted on to keep people safe. People were treated with dignity and respect and their lifestyle and equality needs and choices were understood and respected. People had privacy.
Risks to people had been assessed. People were supported to be independent, understand risks and take them when they wanted to. Staff supported people to remain healthy and gave them advice about healthy eating. People’s medicines were managed safely. People were protected from the risk of infection.
People had planned their support with staff and were encouraged and supported to set and achieve goals to be as independent as possible. People took part in a range of activities and cooked and cleaned for themselves. Plans were in place to support people to share their end of life preferences.
There were enough staff working at the service to support people. Staff were there when people needed them and gave them the support they wanted. Staff had the skills they needed to support people and were supported by the management team. Staff were recruited safely.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection (and update)
The last rating for this service was Good (published 16 September 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Aspirations Kent provides personal care for people with a learning disability in their own home. There were six people using the service at the time of our inspection. People lived together in two shared houses, they had their own bedrooms and shared communal areas such as the kitchen and lounge.
A registered manager was leading the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the care and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Checks had not been completed to make sure the quality of the service was to the required standard. Staff had been asked for their views of the service. This information had not been given to the registered manager so they could respond to any concerns or suggestions. Systems were in place to ask people for their views of the service. The registered manager had informed CQC of significant events that had happened at the service so we could check that appropriate action had been taken.
Staff were kind and caring to people and treated them with dignity and respect at all times. People were supported to be as independent as they could be.
Staff felt supported by the registered manager, location managers and team leaders, they were motivated and enthusiastic about their roles. A manager was always available to provide the support and guidance staff needed. Staff and the registered manager shared the provider’s ‘mission’ to support people to be as independent as they wanted to be.
There were enough staff, who knew people well, to meet their needs at all times. The registered manager had considered people’s needs when deciding which staff would support people. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities and worked as a team to support people to achieve what they wanted.
Checks had been completed to make sure staff were honest, trustworthy and reliable. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal records checks had been completed. The DBS helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and helps prevent unsuitable people from working with people who use care and support services.
Staff had completed the training they needed to provide safe and effective care and support to people. They were supported to provide good quality care. Most staff held recognised qualifications in care. Staff met regularly with their supervisor to discuss their role and practice.
Assessments of people’s needs had been completed to identify any changes. Detailed guidance was provided to staff about how to meet people’s needs. People’s care plans had been reviewed and changed when people’s preferences changed, to keep them safe and help them to be independent. Possible risks to people had been identified and people were supported to stay as safe as possible, while remaining independent.
Staff knew the signs of abuse and were confident to raise any concerns they had with the registered manager. Systems were in place to manage complaints received.
People were supported to attend regular health checks and had support to manage their health needs. They were supported to take the medicines they needed to keep them safe and well. People were offered advice and guidance about a healthy diet. People who needed assistance were supported to prepare their own meals.
The requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) had been met. The registered provider knew when assessments of people’s capacity to make decisions were needed. Staff assumed people had capacity and respected the decisions they made. When people needed help to make a particular decision staff helped them. Decisions were made in people’s best interests with people who knew them well.
Accurate records were kept about the day to day running of the service, care and the support people received. These provided staff with the information they needed to provide safe and consistent care to people.