The inspection was carried out on 29 September 2017, and was an announced inspection. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of the inspection as we needed to be sure that the office was open and staff would be available to speak with us.

4CSR Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency that provides services to people with learning disabilities in their own homes within the geographical area of Medway. At the time of the inspection, the service was providing 24 hour supported living service to one person. A supported living service is one where people live in their own home and receive care and support to enable them to live independently without total reliance on parents or guardians. People have tenancy agreements with a landlord and receive their care and support from the domiciliary care agency. As the housing and care arrangements are separate, people can choose to change their care provider and remain living in the same house.

This was 4CSR Services first rated inspection following registration in 2016.

There was a registered manager 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

There were no robust recruitment practices in place. Applicants were assessed as suitable for their job roles. However, there were gaps in recruitment records. Records did not show a full education history with start and end dates. Therefore, it was not possible to identify if there had been gaps in employment after education.

The provider had no quality assurance systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. We did not see any audits being undertaken. However, the provider was in touch with both staff and the person who used the service regularly.

The Care Quality Commission is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The provider did not fully understand their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The capacity of the person who used the service to make decisions under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 had not been assessed or included in the support plans since the service started in 2016. Not all staff had been trained on the awareness of Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

The provider had systems in place to manage safeguarding matters and make sure that safeguarding alerts were raised with other agencies. Relatives felt their family member was safe using the service.

The person who used the service was treated with kindness. Staff were patient and encouraged the person to do what they could for themselves, whilst allowing them time for the support they needed. Staff encouraged the person to make their own choices and promoted their independence.

The service provided sufficient numbers of staff to meet the person’s needs and provide a flexible service.

The person who used the service was supported with meal planning, preparation and eating and drinking.

The person who used the service said that they knew they could contact the provider at any time, and they felt confident about raising any concerns or other issues.

The person who used the service spoke positively about the way the service was run. The management team and staff understood their respective roles and responsibilities. Staff told us that the registered manager was very approachable and understanding.

During this inspection, we found breaches of regulations relating to fundamental standards of care. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.