Aiding Independence

Ratings

• Overall

  Good

• Safe

  Good

• Effective

  Good

• Caring

  Good

• Responsive

  Good

• Well-led

  Good

Our view of the service

We carried out this assessment between 17 and 26 November 2025. Aiding Independence is a supported living service. The service supports 53 people to live in their own homes with 12 people receiving the regulated activity of personal care. We completed this assessment as we had received some concerns around staff deployment and supporting people to manage their finances. We found no evidence to support these concerns during our assessment.

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 had not always been recruited safely, this had not impacted on people’s safety or support and the provider took steps to address these shortfalls during our assessment. Staff had the skills and knowledge they needed to support people well. People’s needs were kept under review and changes to their support were planned with them. Staff were supported to develop additional skills were necessary. Staff were supported by a leadership team who were accessible and approachable. they were confident to share any concerns or views they had and these had been listened to and acted on to keep people safe.

People's experience of this service

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, “I couldn’t trust anyone else with my loved one. They do more for them than I ever could”. People were confident to share any worries or concerns they had with staff and leaders, a relatives said, “I have no concerns or worries about them”.

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 the 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 and staff 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 sports, drama 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. They had been supported to plan big changes in their lives, including moving home.