Community Support SkILs – Central is a Domiciliary Care Agency that is registered to provide personal care and support to people who live in their own homes. The aim of the service is to provide a short period of time limited rehabilitation and reablement (usually for a period of six weeks), to help people remain living in the community and be as independent as possible.

This was the first time the service had been inspected at this location. At the last inspection the service was compliant with regulations, when it was based at various other locations across the city of Leeds. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care and support to 177 people who used the service.

There were two registered managers for 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.

Recruitment procedures had been followed to ensure reablement staff were safe to work and did not pose a potential risk to people who used the service. A range of assessments were completed to enable reablement staff to safely support people and encourage them to be as independent as possible. Reablement staff had received training about how to recognise and report potential abuse and ensure people who used the service were protected from harm. People who used the service were encouraged to take responsibility for managing their own medicines and training on medicines support had been provided to ensure reablement staff knew how to safely carry out this aspect of their role. People were provided with a range of equipment to help keep them safe and were provided with information about how to contact the service out of normal office hours and in emergency situations.

People who used the service were supported by reablement staff who were reliable, friendly and provided support in a consistent way. A range of training was provided to ensure reablement staff were able to effectively carry out their roles. Reablement staff received regular supervision and appraisal of their skills to enable their performance to be monitored and help them develop their careers. People told us reablement staff communicated with them in a considerate and courteous way and ensured their consent was obtained before personal care and support was delivered. Reablement staff involved health and social care professionals in the community when this was required, to ensure people’s medical needs and wellbeing was promoted.

People were supported to be as independent as possible by reablement staff who respected their confidentiality and maintained their personal dignity. People were treated with kindness and sensitivity by reablement staff who involved them in making decisions about their support to enable their wishes and feelings to be promoted.

People were assessed to ensure the service was able to meet their needs in a way they understood and had agreed. Reablement staff demonstrated a positive understanding of working with people’s individual strengths and preferences to enable them to achieve their personal goals. People who used the service were able to raise concerns and were confident the registered provider would investigate and resolve these, wherever possible.

Governance systems were in place to enable the quality of the service to be monitored. Regular meetings took place to ensure reablement staff were aware of their professional roles and responsibilities. Management support and feedback to reablement staff was provided in a way that was constructive and enabled them to positively question their practice. People who used the service were consulted and encouraged to share their views to enable the service to develop and continually improve.