- Homecare service
FitzRoy Supported Living - Uckfield
Assessment report published 29 August 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
FitzRoy Supported Living Uckfield is a supported living service providing personal care to 4 adults with a learning disability and/or associated conditions. People lived independently in bungalows that were rented from a housing association. Staff worked from an office that was above two of the bungalows. Not everyone living in these bungalows received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided.
This assessment was carried out between 16 May and 13 June 2025. We visited the service on 16 and 21 May 2025. The service specialised in the care of people with a learning disability and autistic people. 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.
This assessment was undertaken to review any improvements from the last inspection completed in October 2019 when the service was rated Requires Improvement. At this assessment further improvements were noted, and the service is now rated Good. Improvements included the handling of complaints and recording discussions surrounding end of life decisions. The service mainly used electronic records, problems with the internet connection and system navigation caused some issues and delays in accessing and completing records. However, staff knew people very well, so impact from this was low although staff were frustrated with the delays caused.
Staff focussed on a very person-centred approach to care and support. They put people, their views and choices at the centre of everything they did. Everyone was supported to share their views and aspirations. People’s dignity, privacy and human rights were maintained. Staff recognised any sign of distress or anxiety in people and responded effectively. For example, one person was unsure about the inspector being in the communal areas of the bungalow. Staff responded quickly providing reassurances and ensuring they felt safe.
People were supported to have enjoyable and meaningful lives. Contact with family and friends was given a high priority, valued and promoted.
Staff and people benefited from an open and positive culture in the service. The service learned from incidents changing and improving practice when needed. People were supported by a team of staff who knew them well and worked well together. Staff felt valued, undertook regular training and received supervision. Quality audits and reviews were used to monitor and improve the service. There was a stable and effective leadership team in place.
People's experience of this service
People and their family members were very positive about the quality of the care and support provided by staff. They reflected on the much-improved atmosphere, and approach of all staff. The praise received was consistent and reflected a high satisfaction. A relative said, “The service is very settled at the moment, regular staff, it’s like a real family here. Staff genuinely care about people and their families.”
People spoke about positive experiences with staff. They told us how they always had someone to talk to, and their independence was always supported. Observation confirmed that people’s wishes were paramount with staff constantly checking in with people to ensure they were consulted and in agreement with anything happening.
People felt consulted and able to influence how they were supported and how they spent their time and, in this way, felt fulfilled. One person told us how they enjoyed being as independent as possible and staff encouraged this. A relative said, “They can make decisions about things, they have their social time and staff make the most of this allocated time. They were also involved in some gardening with a carer.”
People were able to express their views and felt comfortable to share these with staff. Relatives were also confident in sharing any views or concerns with staff. “I have no worries at all, staff are very approachable and know people well. The deputy manager responds to any concern immediately.”
People and relatives told us how caring, kind and empathetic staff were to them. People sought out the company of staff and they enjoyed laughing and joking with each other. The atmosphere between staff and people was relaxed. A relative said, “The service and staff are very caring -they all have people’s best interests at heart.”