Archived: East Kent Independent Living service

Updated 20 July 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was carried out to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection was carried out on 7 June 2017. We gave the service short notice of the inspection because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. As part of our planning for this inspection we looked at the PIR and records that were sent to us by the registered provider and the local authority to inform us of significant changes and events.

We looked at four people’s care plans, risk assessments and associated records. We reviewed documentation that related to staff management and recruitment. We looked at records of the systems used to monitor the safety and quality of the service. We also sampled the services’ policies and procedures.

We spoke with three people who used the service to gather their feedback. We spoke with the registered manager, the unit manager and one member of care staff as part of our inspection.

This was the first inspection of this service since it was registered on 10 May 2016.

Updated 20 July 2017

East Kent Independent Living is a care agency that provides care and support, including personal care, to adults, and children aged 16 and above, with a learning disability living in their own home. The service covers the East Kent area. There were four people using the service who were receiving personal care at the time of the inspection, which is the part of the service the commission regulates. The service is operated by Kent County Council.

This inspection was carried out on 7 June 2017. We gave the service short notice of the inspection because it is small and the manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in.

There was a manager in post who was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

People were asked for their consent before care was provided. The registered provider complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, but two assessments of a person’s capacity had not been properly recorded. We have made a recommendation about this.

People were protected from abuse and harm by staff that knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and report any concerns. Risks to individuals’ wellbeing and safety had been assessed and minimised. Staff knew how to reduce the risk of spreading infection when providing care.

People had their health needs met and were supported to access health care professionals as needed. They were provided with support to eat and drink well to meet their needs. People’s medicines were managed safely.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People were provided with staff that knew them well and worked with them regularly. Staff were provided with the training and qualifications they needed to care for people safely and effectively. Staff were appropriately supervised and supported in their roles.

Staff were kind and caring and had developed positive relationships with the people they supported and their families. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and promoted their right to privacy. People were enabled to remain as independent as possible.

People were provided with personalised and flexible care. They were asked their views about how their care should be provided and these were included in their care plan. People’s views about the quality of the service were sought and suggestions were acted upon. People knew how make a complaint if they needed to and complaints were handled in a transparent and honest way.

The registered manager provided effective leadership and was aware of the risks and areas for development within the service. Effective quality assurance systems were used to identify shortfalls and action was taken to address these.