We inspected this service on 10 January 2017. The inspection was announced.

Audley Care Ltd – Bearsted provides care and support for people in their own homes living within the retirement village and people living within the local community. This includes older people who may be living with dementia. The registered office is situated in a retirement village in Maidstone. The agency had previously been registered at a different location, the current office was registered in March 2016. At the time of our inspection they were supporting 51 people.

There was not a registered managers employed at the service. 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. However, at the time of our inspection there was a manager in place who had applied to become the registered manager.

People received a service that was safe and told us they felt safe. Staff and the management team had received training about protecting people from abuse, and they knew what action to take if they suspected abuse. The safety of staff who were working out in the community had been assessed with systems put into place to reduce the risk to staff. Risks to people’s safety had been assessed and recorded with measures put into place to manage any hazards identified.

People received support and assistance from enough staff to fulfil their expected care packages and meet their assessed needs. Recruitment practices were safe and checks were carried out to make sure staff were suitable to work with people who needed care and support. Staff had received the training they required to meet people’s needs. A comprehensive induction programme was in place which all new staff completed. Staff had a clear understanding of their roles and people’s needs. Staff were supported in their role from the management team.

Where staff were involved in assisting people to manage their medicines, they did so safely. Policies and procedures were in place for the safe administration of medicines and staff had been trained to administer medicines safely.

People’s needs had been assessed to identify the care and support they required. Care and support was planned with people and reviewed to make sure people continued to have the support they needed. Detailed guidance was provided to staff within people’s homes and in the registered office about how to provide all areas of the care and support people needed.

People were supported to remain as healthy as possible. Guidance was available within peoples support plans to inform the staff of any specific health condition support. People were encouraged to maintain as much independence as possible.

People were treated with kindness and respect whilst receiving care and support from the agency. Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and staff asked people’s consent before any care or support tasks were carried out.

People were encouraged to give their views about the service they received through annual questionnaires. Systems were in place to enable people to make a complaint if they were not happy about the service they received.

Systems were in place for monitoring the quality and safety of the service and assessing people’s experiences. These included face to face reviews and regular spot checks.