This inspection took place on 23 May 2017. The inspection was announced.

Gravesend Care Services is registered as a domiciliary care agency, providing personal care specifically to people living within a supported living service who have a learning disability or mental health need. Set within the larger Wimborne House extra care complex, people live in their own self-contained flats. There were ten people receiving support with their daily living from Gravesend Care Services, however not all of these people required support with their personal care needs. Four people required support to meet their personal care needs on the day we inspected.

The provider had been registered to provide personal care services at this location since 16 May 2016 when the new building was completed. Some people had been living there since May 2016 and others had moved in as recently as February 2017.

There was a registered manager based 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. The registered manager was available at the service for ten hours per week as they managed other services within the providers group.

People were given information in a way they could understand about how to stay safe and who to tell if they did not feel safe. Staff were fully aware of their responsibilities in keeping people safe and reporting any concerns they had. They were shown how to report directly to the local authority if they needed to.

Individual risks were identified and management plans to reduce and control risk were comprehensive, making sure people and staff had the guidance they needed. Accidents and incidents were recorded in detail by staff with action taken. The registered manager had not always kept up to date with checking the process had been completed, however this was being addressed by a change to the reporting process.

Most people managed their own prescribed medicines if they had them, or required only reminding or prompting. Two people did need assistance with the administration of their medicines. Records to do with the safe administration of medicines were kept well and monitoring systems to check records had been started by the registered manager.

There were enough staff to provide the support people had been assessed as requiring. Staff support and the times it was given was tailored to the individual, changing when necessary to suit people’s changing needs and wishes. Safe recruitment practices were followed by the provider and the registered manager to make sure only suitable staff were employed to work with people in their own homes.

Staff were supported well by the provider and the management team. Training was generally up to date and staff were encouraged to pursue their personal development. Staff had received one to one supervision although this was not as regular as the provider’s policy stated it should be. Staff saw the deputy manager on a daily basis and felt well supported. Regular staff meetings were held to aid communication within the team.

People were supported to make their own choices and decisions. Staff had a good understanding of the basic principles of the Mental Capacity Act 20015 (MCA) and promoted people’s rights. Where people needed support with some decisions they were helped by a close family member. As people were living within a supported living service, they had a tenancy agreement, protecting their housing rights. They were supported to understand their responsibilities by staff and were provided with an easy read guide to support their understanding further.

Some people needed the assistance of staff to cook their meals. The support required was detailed within their support plan. Most peo