Care service description.

Chilmington at Home is a domiciliary care agency providing care support for three adults with a learning disability within a supported living setting where they share a house with another person who receives support from other services. Each person has their own tenancy and individual funding for different levels of care and support based on the local authority’s needs. assessment. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Rating at last inspection.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Why the service is rated good.

The service continued to provide people with safe, effective care which met their needs. People were kept as safe as possible through robust staff recruitment, effective training, staff support and monitoring. Potential risks were assessed and where necessary, action taken to minimise them. People were supported, where necessary, to receive their prescribed medicines appropriately.

People’s rights and freedom were respected and supported. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People received appropriate support related to nutrition and hydration and their healthcare needs were well met through liaison with external health professionals.

Staff were kind and caring and treated people with respect. People’s dignity, privacy and rights were supported in the ways staff supported them.

People’s and families views were sought and listened to. Relatives felt their opinions were valued and any concerns were addressed.

People were supported to attend events and activities in the community when this was part of their care plan. Care plans were person centred and regularly reviewed, with input from people and, where appropriate, their families.

Relatives and external professionals all felt the service was well led and run in the interests of the people it supported. The service advocated strongly on behalf of those supported and worked very effectively with external care and health agencies.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This inspection took place on 30 October 2015 and was announced to ensure the registered manager was available.

Chilmington At Home is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to 20 people living either in their own homes or in a supported living setting. A registered manager was in post. 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.

People were safe when supported by the service. Staff knew how to recognise and respond to concerns about safety. They were confident that any issues that might be reported would be addressed by the management. Staff were provided with appropriate training to equip them with the skills needed. They were given ongoing support through supervision, team meetings and appraisal to maintain and develop their practice.

People and their relatives were very happy with the support provided by the service. They felt involved in discussions about their care needs and told us their views were listened to.

People’s support was delivered reliably and consistently and their consent was sought before it was offered. People’s rights, dignity and privacy were protected by staff

Although few complaints had arisen, people were happy that any issues they had raised had been addressed and were confident any concerns would be dealt with.

The provider and registered manager had clear expectations of staff with respect to their conduct and approach to the people supported and their families. The person was clearly at the centre of the process of planning and reviewing their support.

The operation of the service was effectively monitored by management.

We found that the service involved people in planning their care and were flexible as people’s needs or wishes changed. Care plans were detailed and supported by risk assessments. People were provided with a wide range of different types of support according to their needs.

People were safe and the provider had procedures in place to identify any risks to the vulnerable adults supported. Staff had been trained on safeguarding.

Appropriate procedures and training were in place where the provider was involved in supporting people with medication. People were encouraged to manage this for themselves or with family support where possible.

The agency had a thorough recruitment and selection system and maintained appropriate records of the process. Staff received a thorough induction and completed the necessary core and specialist training to support their role.

The manager had systems to monitor the operation of the service and the views of the people being supported were sought and acted upon. People were very happy with the support they received.