We carried out a review of the data available to us about Kitcare Supported Living 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 Kitcare Supported Living, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
Kitcare Supported Living service provides personal care support to younger adults and people aged 65 and over. People that used the service lived in one of the two supported living houses; where the staff from Kitcare supported them. People had their own bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms. They shared communal areas of the home, such as the kitchen, living room and laundry facilities. There was an office with sleep in facilities for staff in both houses. The manager’s office for the service was to the rear of one of the supported living homes, with its own separate entrance. In one house there was seven beds and at the time of the inspection five people were living there. The larger house had11 beds, two were self-contained apartments to the rear of the house. At the time of the inspection 10 people were living there. This is larger than current best practice guidance. However. the size of the service having a negative impact on people was mitigated by the building design fitting into the residential area and other domestic homes of a similar size. There were deliberately no identifying signs to indicate it was a supported living home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People's support needs were met as sufficient numbers of trained staff were available to them.
People were supported by staff who understood their role in protecting them from the risk of harm. People were supported to take reasonable risks, so that they could do things they enjoyed and be part of the local community. Environmental risks were assessed and managed to enable people to keep safe.
Where needed people were supported in a safe way to take their prescribed medicine. The staff's suitability to work with people was established before they commenced employment and people were involved in the recruitment process. Staff supported people to keep their home clean and systems were in place to guide staff on the prevention and control of infection.
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.
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.
Staff knew people well and understood their support needs and preferences. People were treated with consideration and respect by the staff and were supported to maintain their dignity. People were supported to maintain relationships with those who were important to them.
The registered manager and staff team included people and their representatives in the planning of their care. Processes were in place for people and their representatives to raise any concerns about the service provided. People and their representatives were consulted and involved in the ongoing development of the service.
Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and felt supported by the management team. The
provider and registered manager understood their legal responsibilities with us. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service, to enable the registered manager and provider to drive improvement.
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 17 May 2018 ). Since this rating was awarded the provider altered its legal entity on 01/03/2019. This is the first inspection under the service’s new legal entity.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the registration date of the change in legal entity of this service.
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.