The Care Quality Commission
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Archived: Durham Share Lives Scheme 2

Greencroft Centre, 1 Woodland Court, Greencroft Industrial Park, Annfield Plain, Stanley, County Durham, DH9 7BF 0300 026 5222

Provided and run by:
Durham County Council

All Inspections

19 November and 2, 4 December 2013

During a routine inspection

During visits we spoke with people who used Durham Shared Lives Scheme 2 (the scheme). All of the people we spoke with said they were happy with the way their placement had been arranged. People who used the service told us they made visits to meet with new carers. One person told us, 'I talked to my social worker about what I wanted to do and they put me in touch with (the scheme manager) who helped me to find a family to live with.'

All of the people we spoke with said they could make decisions about their lives. One person said, 'I have photographs in my support plan; we make plans together.'

We spoke with people who used the scheme. They said things like they were 'quite happy - it's fine' and they were 'all right' when they stayed with carers. One carer told us, 'I know I would get support from the scheme staff and the manager if ever I needed to raise an alert.'

We saw people were receiving appropriate care, support and treatment by trained and confident carers. A carer told us, 'We cover a wide variety of subjects and the help with support plans has been excellent."

The service is assessed and monitored by Durham County Council to make sure that their performance is acceptable. At the most recent 'Service User Consultation Day' people said they were happy with the scheme and the carers who supported them. Their comments included: 'They are like my other family" and 'They are nice and friendly, we respect each other.'

26 September 2012

During a routine inspection

During visits we spoke with people who used Durham Shared Lives Scheme (the scheme). All of the people we spoke with said they were happy with the way their placement had been arranged. People who used the service told us they made visits to meet with new carers. One person told us '(Staff name) from the scheme came to talk to me first before I met my carers. She asked me if I was interested in going again'

All of the people we spoke with said they could make decisions about their lives. One person told us, 'I have a care plan file with everything written in it.'

People said they 'felt safe' and had 'no problems' when they stayed with carers. One person told us, 'I'm happy here, (carers name) is canny and I don't get any hassle.'

We saw people were receiving appropriate care, support, and treatment by trained and confident carers.

One person who lived with a carer told us, 'There's one thing I can say about the carers is that they try very hard with the training that they go on.'

The service is assessed and monitored by Durham County Council to make sure that their performance is acceptable. At the most recent 'Service User Consultation Day' people said they were happy with the food and their carer helped them to stay healthy. They said things like, 'Nice homely atmosphere.' And, 'Went to Hartlepool Marina, Shildon Trainings and Sunday lunch out. Had an excellent time with carer.'