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Steps 2 Limited

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

41 Hurston Close, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 0AX 07922 528912

Provided and run by:
Steps 2 Limited

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

About the service

Steps 2 Limited is a homecare service providing personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the assessment, 4 people were receiving the regulated activity of Personal care.

Who the service is for

This was a specialist service for autistic people, people with a learning disability and people with physical disabilities. We assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed autistic people and people with a learning disability respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

Key findings

We carried out this assessment between 16 September and 22 September 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.

People received safe, person-centred care and support which enabled them to achieve positive outcomes and maintain their independence. Staff understood people’s individual needs, risks and communication preferences and supported people to make choices about their lives and remain active in their local communities. Care plans reflected people’s health, wellbeing and support needs and staff worked effectively with health and social care professionals where needed. People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Systems were in place to monitor the quality and safety of care, including incidents, medicines, care plans, staff training and recruitment. People were supported to make choices, maintain their independence and access their local communities in line with the principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. The service supported people living in their own homes, where the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) do not apply. We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how restrictions on people were managed. Care records for 2 people incorrectly referred to DoLS authorisations being in place. We discussed this with the local authority, who confirmed there were no Court of Protection orders in place and both people were awaiting review of their current arrangements. The registered manager acknowledged the recording was inaccurate and agreed to update the care records to reflect people’s current arrangements. People we spoke with did not raise concerns about restrictions on their freedom or choice.

People continued to access their local communities and take part in activities that were important to them. Staff supported people to make choices and maintain their independence wherever possible.

6 November 2018

During a routine inspection

The inspection was announced and took place on 6 November 2018.

Steps 2 Limited provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. It covers the geographical area of the Worthing and surrounding area. Personal care is provided to people with a learning disability, people with mental health needs and people living with autism. As well as providing personal care to people the provider supports people with social, recreational activities. At the time of the inspection five people were supported with personal care.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People said they felt safe with the provider’s care workers who had a good awareness of the importance of protecting people. Risks were assessed and there were clear procedures for care workers to follow to ensure people were safely supported. Medicines were safely managed. Checks were made on the suitability of new care workers to work in a care setting. Care workers followed procedures to prevent the spread of infection. Reviews of care and incidents took place.

Care workers were supported well and had access to a range of training courses including nationally recognised qualifications in care.

People’s nutritional needs were assessed and people were helped with food and drinks. Health care needs were assessed and the provider made referrals to health services where this was needed. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and care workers supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The provider had a good knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and made appropriate referrals to the local authority when people did not have capacity and whose freedom was restricted for their own safety.

Care workers treated people with kindness and respect. People were involved in decisions about their care and their independence was promoted. Care workers ensured people’s privacy was upheld.

People’s needs were comprehensively assessed and care plans were of a high standard reflecting people’s needs, preferences and choices. Health and social care professionals viewed the service as providing person centred and responsive care. People’s communication needs were assessed and pictures, mood boards and signage was used to involve people in decision making.

The service was well led and was responsive to the challenges it faced. The registered manager and provider had a clear vision of the service provision as well as plans to develop it. The provider ensured care workers were supported to develop their skills and knowledge. There was a system of checks and audits regarding the safety and quality of the service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

1 March 2016

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on the 1 March 2016 and it was announced.

Steps 2 Limited is a small domiciliary care service providing support to people in their own homes in Worthing and the surrounding area. The service supports people with a learning disability, people with mental health needs or people on the autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our visit, they were supporting four people with personal care.

The service had a registered manager in post who is also the registered provider. They had been registered since October 2011. 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.

People told us they felt Steps 2 Limited provided a safe service. Staff understood local safeguarding procedures. They were able to speak about what action they would take if they had a concern or felt a person was at risk of abuse. Risks to people had been identified and assessed and information was provided to staff on how to care for people safely and mitigate any risks.

People and relatives spoke positively about the support they received from the service and records reflected that there was sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. The service followed safe recruitment practices. People’s medicines were managed safely.

Staff felt confident with the support and guidance they had been given during their induction and subsequent training. Staff also told us they were satisfied with the level of support they were given from the management team. Supervisions and appraisals were consistently carried out for all staff supporting people.

People were encouraged to be as independent as possible and to be involved with determining the care they received. Staff understood the requirements under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and about people’s capacity to make decisions.

Staff spoke kindly and respectfully to people, involving them with the care provided. Staff had developed meaningful relationships with people they supported. Staff knew people well and had a caring approach. People were treated with dignity and respect.

People received personalised care. People’s care had been planned and individual care plans were in place. They contained information about people’s lives, including their personal histories. They provided clear guidance to staff on how to meet people’s individual needs. Relatives were involved in reviewing care plans with the management team.

Staff were vigilant to changes in people’s health needs and their support was reviewed when required. If people required input from other health and social care professionals, this was arranged. Staff often supported people with their healthcare appointments.

People’s views about the quality of the service were obtained informally through discussions with the registered manager and formally through satisfaction surveys. Relatives were also asked for their feedback and this was positive.

During the inspection we found the registered manager open to feedback. People, relatives and staff told us how the management team were open and approachable and quick to respond to any requests.

18 March 2013

During a routine inspection

Step 2 Ltd is a domiciliary care provider which provides personal care services to people with learning disabilities in their home. At the time of our visit we were informed that there were three people who use their services; however none of the people needed assistance with personnel care. People's support packages were tailored to people's needs.

During our visit the registered manager discussed with us whether the service that they provide to people in their homes needed to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. The services currently provided support to people in the community who did not need personnel care. We looked at records and spoke to people to assess the care and support that would be provide if personal care was provided in the future.

During our visit we spoke with two people who used the service and one member of staff on the telephone and the registered Manager. We looked also looked at records which included care files of people who used the service, personnel files of employees.

Comments we received from the people we had contact with were positive. People told us they were happy with the service and that the staff were helpful. People told us that staff helped people to maintain their independence and respected their privacy and dignity.