This inspection was carried out on 24 and 25 August 2016 and was announced. Twenty four hours’ notice of the inspection was given because we needed to be sure that people who wanted to speak to us were available during the inspection.

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 capaci