Archived: Knowsley Community Partnership Scheme

Updated 18 March 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

We inspected the service over two days on 12 and 15 February 2016. Our inspection was announced and the inspection team consisted of an adult social care inspector. We gave the registered provider short notice of the inspection as we needed to be sure someone would be in at the office.

On the first day of our inspection we visited the office. Whilst at the office we met with and held discussions with five people who used the service, six carers, two shared lives officers and the registered manager. We looked at the care records of six people who used the service and records relating to the management of the service. On the second day of our inspection we held telephone discussions with three carers and two people who used the service.

Before our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service including notifications of incidents that the provider had sent us since the last inspection. Prior to the inspection the provider had submitted a Provider Information Return (PIR) to us. The PIR is a document the provider is required to submit to us which provides key information about the service, and tells us what the provider considers the service does well and details any improvements they intend to make.

Updated 18 March 2016

This was an announced inspection, carried out on 11 and 15 February 2016.

Knowsley Community Partnership Scheme is a Shared Lives Scheme operated by Knowsley Council. The scheme recruits, approves and trains shared lives carers who provide accommodation in their own homes to adults who have a learning disability.

The service has a registered manager. 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.

The last inspection of Knowsley Community Partnership Scheme was carried out in November 2013 and we found that the service was meeting all the regulations we assessed.

People who used the service felt safe and had trust in their carers. Shared lives officers and carers knew how to respond to any concerns they had about people’s safety. They had access to safeguarding procedures which they understood. Shared lives officers and carers had received training to help them deal with emergencies and they were confident about responding to an emergency situation.

Risks people faced were assessed, identified and planned for. This included environmental risks and risks associated with tasks and activities people took part in. Risk management plans which were in place ensured people could take responsible risks as part of an independent lifestyle.

People were supported by carers and shared lives officers who were appropriately trained and supported. The matching process ensured people were placed with carers who were able to meet their needs. If additional support was needed to meet people’s needs the provider ensured there were systems in place which enabled this. Carers were positive about the support they received and felt they had the appropriate training and support to carry out their role.

Carers and shared lives officers had completed training and understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). They knew the main principles of the Act and showed good knowledge of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and when a DoLS may be required.

The recruitment process for shared lives officers and carers was safe and thorough. Carers went through a screening and matching process to ensure they were of suitable character and had the skills and knowledge to provide people with safe care. People spent time with their potential carers and families before making a decision to live with them.

People felt well cared for and their privacy and dignity was promoted and respected. People’s independence was encouraged, they pursued their interests and hobbies and took part in daily tasks around their home. Information about people’s rights was made available to them in an accessible format.

People had a person centred support plan which was developed based on comprehensive assessments. Support plans which included the management of risks informed carers about how they were to support people successfully. People’s preferred methods of communication, routines, likes and dislikes, wishes and preferences were included in their support plans.

There was an open and positive culture within the service whereby people felt able to discuss anything about the service. The registered manager and shared lives staff work well as a team to resolve any issues which arose. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service people received. The views of people who used the service and carers was obtained as part of monitoring the quality of the service. Plans were developed and clearly described what actions were required to improve the service and who was responsible for ensuring the actions were followed through.