National Care Group Kent Head Office

Updated 26 November 2025

We carried out this assessment between 15 December 2025 and 8 January 2026, we visited the office to speak with the people and the registered manager on 22 December and continued to gather evidence after the Christmas period. National Care Group Kent Head Office is a supported living service. The service supports 110 people to live in their own homes with 36 people receiving the regulated activity of personal care. We completed this assessment as the service had not been assessed and rated since moving to a new address.

We have 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.

Staff were supported by a strong leadership team who were accessible and approachable. The management team had invested time and effort into developing their leadership skills and staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Staff had the skills and knowledge they needed to support people well and were encouraged to develop in their roles. The provider and leadership team cared about staff and acted to support their wellbeing. Staff were motivated and felt appreciated.

Updated 26 November 2025

People told us they got on well with staff and we observed people, staff and leaders joking and laughing together. People told us they felt safe with staff and were enabled to do what they wanted. This included following their preferred routines, going where they wanted and taking part in things which interested them. A relative told us, “He does what he wants and the staff support him to do so”.

There was a shared culture of supporting and empowering people to be as independent as possible. People were able to take planned risks and develop their skills and confidence. They were supported to make decisions and choices about all areas of their life and had access to the information they needed, in ways they could understand. People were treated with dignity and respect and their individuality was celebrated. Everyone was enabled to be part of their local community and took part in a wide variety to pastimes, including sport, the arts and socialising with friends and relatives.

People were encouraged to live healthy lives and were supported to attend health appointments and check-ups. Communication tools were in place to support people to share information about themselves, including how they communicate distressed, what is important to them and how they like their support provided. People managed their medicines safely with staff support.

Relatives told us they would recommend the service to other people. Their comments included, “I’m happy with the care my loved one receives. We fell on our feet when we found this support. It’s a god send”, “They do a good job. They are supportive of the clients and make sure they are safe and well”, and “It took quite a while to find the right support for my loved one. We had other options, but this felt right. There is a calm feeling and they are looked after well”.