- Homecare service
Aspens Supported Living & Outreach (Kent)
Assessment report published 29 September 2025
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of Assessment: 24 June to 11 July 2025.
The service provides care and support to people living in 'supported living' settings within their local communities, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. In supported living people’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. 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 undertook this assessment due to concerns we received about people’s care and treatment.
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 in breach of 2 regulations. The provider had failed to have effective systems in place to identify, monitor and manage risks for people. This included the safe management of medicines. The provider had also failed to provide robust quality monitoring processes to ensure effective oversight of the service.
We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this assessment.
People were supported to access the health support they needed although this information was not always recorded. Staff were recruited safely and understood how to recognise and report concerns and any abuse.
People’s specific communication needs had been assessed and met. A health care partner described how a person, “Demonstrated a positive relationship with staff which reflects the quality of care and rapport within the team”.
People's experience of this service
People told us they were happy with the staff who supported them. Some people gave a ‘thumbs up’ sign to indicate that staff were good. Other people described how staff supported them to do things they enjoyed such as going out. People told us they led active, busy lives and appreciated the independence of living in their own home. People told us that important events in their lives were celebrated such as birthdays and they enjoyed going on holiday with staff support.
Relatives and people told us they were involved in making choices in their day to day lives. One person told us how they had interviewed potential staff and been involved in choosing who would support them. Relatives and people described how they were responsible for their home by taking part in cooking and cleaning.
We observed staff effectively communicating with people according to these needs. Staff praised people for their achievements and promoted their independence. Staff were described as ‘compassionate’ and ‘caring’ by relatives and health and social care partners. Relatives told us that staff were specifically skilled in supporting people who had complex needs and a range of anxieties.