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PCAS Kent Ltd

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Unit 5, Jubilee Way, Faversham, ME13 8GD 0330 053 5919

Provided and run by:
PCAS Kent Ltd

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

This assessment took place between 19 May 2026 and 18 June 2026. We visited the office location on 19 and 20 May 2026. We visited some people in their own homes on 26 and 27 May 2026. The assessment was carried out to follow up on enforcement action we had taken at the last assessment.

PCAS Kent Ltd is a supported living service. A supported living service provides individuals with personal care and support to enable them to live as independently as possible in their own homes or shared accommodation. At the time of this assessment there were 29 people receiving support with ‘personal care’: help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Not everyone using the service receives the regulated activity of personal care. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. We did not review people’s care and support who did not receive personal care.

This service is registered to support people with physical disabilities, autistic people and people with a learning disability. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ (RSRCRC) is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it. We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture (RSRCRC)’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

At the last assessment, we identified breaches of 6 regulations in relation to providing people with person centred care, safeguarding, safe care and treatment, need for consent, staffing and good governance. The service was placed into special measures.

At this assessment we found the provider was no longer in breach of any regulations and is therefore no longer in special measures. Improvements had been made across the whole service. The provider and staff had worked hard to embed improvements and learn lessons from the previous assessment. Some work was still ongoing to develop risk assessments, care plans and mental capacity assessments and the provider was in the process of providing training and support to achieve this.

People received care and support from regular team of care staff. There were sufficient staff deployed to support people.

People were safeguarded from abuse. People were supported to access healthcare services, maintain their health and wellbeing. Staff were trained to support people effectively. Staff followed infection prevention and control procedures. Incidents and accidents were reported and reviewed and lessons learned from them.

People and relatives were involved in assessments, reviews and decisions about their care. Care and support plans detailed people's individual needs, and how these would be met. Staff supported people in a way that promoted their independence, choice and control.

The provider had systems in place to monitor quality and safety, including audits of care records, medicines, incidents and complaints. Leaders were approachable, and most staff felt well supported through supervision, training and ongoing development opportunities.

During an assessment under our new approach

We completed an assessment between 24 March 2025 and 07 April 2025. PCAS is a supported living service. A supported living service provides individuals with personal care and support to enable them to live as independently as possible in their own homes or shared accommodation. We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. The service was not meeting the guidance of RSRCRC: this had a detrimental impact on people’s lives.

At this assessment the provider failed to ensure people’s health risks were well managed, or that people were supported by suitably qualified and competent staff. Medicines had not been managed safely. People were not treated with dignity, kindness and respect. There was a lack of effective oversight of the service to identify and make improvements. Audits and checks that were completed had not identified the serious and widespread issues within this assessment.

We found significant shortfalls across the service and identified breaches of 6 regulations in relation to providing people with person centred care, safeguarding, safe care and treatment, need for consent, staffing and good governance.

This service is being placed in special measures. The purpose of special measures is to ensure that services providing inadequate care make significant improvements. Special measures provide a framework within which we user our enforcement powers in response to inadequate care and provide a timeframe within which providers must improve the quality of the care they provide. In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.

At the previous assessment, the provider was in breach of regulations relating to safe recruitment. The provider was no longer in breach of this regulation at this assessment.

31 August 2022

During a routine inspection

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

PCAS Kent Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people with a learning disability and autistic people in their own homes and in supported living. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 56 people.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

Right Support

The service was not always following good infection control practice. People and relatives and staff told us staff did not always wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep themselves and people safe. Staff supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence. People had control over their own lives. Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life.

People received support in a safe, clean, well equipped, well-furnished and well-maintained environment that met their sensory and physical needs. People had a choice about their living environment and were able to personalise their rooms.

Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. Staff communicated with people in ways that met their needs.

Right Care

New staff were not always adequately checked to ensure they were suitable to work with people to keep them safe. We found no evidence that people had been harmed. However, systems were not robust enough to demonstrate staff recruitment was effectively managed. The provider’s auditing systems had not identified the recruitment issues and other areas for improvement.

Staff and people cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks. People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs.

Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs. People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

Right Culture

People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Staff knew and understood people well.

Staff were responsive, supporting people’s aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. People and those important to them, including advocates, were involved in planning their care. People’s quality of life was enhanced by the service’s culture of improvement and inclusivity.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service under the previous location was good (published 29 September 2018).

Why we inspected

This is the service’s first inspection since registering with the CQC as a new service on 14 January 2021.

Enforcement

We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.

We have identified a breach in relation to safe recruitment practice. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.