Poole and Bournemouth Shared Lives

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Safeguarding was a topic for discussion with people and opportunities were given for people to raise concerns with staff and within their peer groups. People were supported to identify and manage risk, with a focus on positive risk taking to enable maximum freedom and autonomy to fulfil each person’s individual needs and wishes. People were fully involved in the process. Care plans provided detailed guidance for staff giving clear instruction on how to keep people safe. There were sufficient and appropriately trained staff in place to support people, and some shared lives carers had undertaken additional training above and beyond the requirements of their role, for example to provide stoma care, when a person’s presenting needs changed drastically. Staff were recruited safely; people were involved in the process. Recruitment practices were comprehensive and included the skill matching of staff, environmental considerations, and people involvement in interviews.

This service scored 78 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

We did not look at Learning culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safe systems, pathways and transitions during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

People told us they felt safe being supported by staff. People knew how to raise any concerns they might have and stated they were confident the management team would address these. One person told us they felt safe and “Knew everyone like a friend" through participating in a safeguarding referral because the placement was able to offer sensitive support to help them understand the role of professionals. People and staff had created care plans which were instrumental in upholding their rights, with clear outcomes. This meant the foundation of all shared lives placements were built on values of being non-discriminatory, accepting and considerate to people's human rights. People were offered safe spaces to explore their sexuality and identity, supporting them to live the life they wanted. People were supported to experience all aspects of life with identity and sexual expression being positive and natural. Excellent communication together with relationship building meant people were supported by staff who had nurtured a close working relationship and trust. People had the benefit of collaboration to enable them to achieve their goals in life, this included specialist support from professionals as required.

Staff knew how to report any concerns both at the service and to external authorities such as the local authority safeguarding team. Staff spoken to stated, “We know people we support whether they live with us or are just here for respite really well, and I know if they were out of character or needed help I could get support for them from the office immediately.”

The provider's safeguarding policy and processes were in line with relevant legislation. Staff were trained in safeguarding and understood how to protect people from different forms of abuse. The provider had robust preadmission and risk matching policies which were centred around people’s values. Staff worked with people at their own pace to ensure they maintained control. The registered manager told us, “People are the heart of the service. Discrimination against any of the protected characteristics would not be tolerated.” And, “My responsibility is to promote accountability throughout the office and each placement so we can all uphold our duty to keep people safe.” People had access to an involvement group where they could speak to staff outside of their home if they had concerns. All legal applications had been made in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005, this meant people’s rights were fully respected. The registered manager had oversight of safeguarding concerns, community order applications, authorisations, and conditions. This had enabled them to learn from events and contribute to keeping people safe.

People told us staff knew how to support them to identify risks and overcome obstacles to activities and tasks they would like to achieve. Examples included travelling abroad for the very first time and learning to swim. Risks to people had been comprehensively assessed and risk assessments had been put in place to help mitigate risks as far as possible. These risks included areas such as supporting people to leave the home independently and to explore sexual relationships. Care plans had been developed to reflect a person’s journey with the service, including goals to “settle in” and “be independent”. Risks were communicated to people using easy read format, and developed by the person to provide instructions for staff about how they wished to be treated. The registered manager told us how crucial people’s input was to direct staff on how to respond to emergencies in instances a person went missing or experienced a mental health crisis as the person had already identified key relatives and professionals who’s support could be used to deescalate the situation.

Shared Lives officers completed extensive health and safety checks, including fire safety checks of the carer’s home to help ensure risks were mitigated as far as possible. Carers told us of adaptations made to their properties to provide an environment free of hazards to meet people's individual needs. For example, in one property adapted bathrooms had toilets with integrated electronic bidets installed so people needed less support to use the toilet and greatly increased their independence. Another shared lives carer showed us a recording tool they had developed specific to the person they support to help others recognise repeated phrases, expressions and vocal sounds the person used to communicate pain to enable appropriate care and treatment in times of distress. For example, one person who did not use speech as their main method of communication began singing repeated melodies and lyrics following a bereavement. The shared lives carer identified this pattern around times of low mood and offered the person emotional support, sharing this information with other professionals as necessary to eliminate physical illness such as pain or infection.

The registered manager told us people are the “heart and core” of BCP Shared Lives, and created learning resources bespoke to people. These were shared these with staff and formed agreements known as “communication contracts” where people led on decisions about their safety and how they would like to be treated in times of worry or hardship. The success of this method of care provision has been celebrated by a national organisation for Shared Lives, with photos and videos of people and their carers alongside published guidance. There were systems in place for staff to report concerns, incidents, and accidents. The provider demonstrated oversight and how they manage risks. The management team completed regular audits and action plans were put in place if any risks were identified. The registered manager shared detailed analysis from recent incidents, and provided evidence of how these instances were used to develop the service further and challenge staff beyond the remit of their role to make referrals and submit statutory notifications, increasing their depth of knowledge about other regulatory bodies such as Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive.

We did not look at Safe environments during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

Carers went through an exhaustive recruitment process which included several visits by a shared lives officer and the registered manager to assess the suitability of the environment but also on the values and ethos of the carer. This was followed by peer-to-peer support and ongoing support and monitoring for the carer. This approach to getting the right carers had positive outcomes for people. One person told us, "I am the first person that lived with this carer, and I always make new people coming for respite welcome. I show them around and tell them what I like about my carer. If I was worried about anything, I could tell my carer, and she knows what to do." People told us they are part of the selection panel for new carers, the registered manager stated it is important for new staff to know people making choices and being in control are embedded in every aspect of the service.

Shared Lives Carers spoke highly of the induction, training and support provided by Shared Lives officers and registered manager. Comments included, “The registered manager manages the team in a way that we as individuals respond well to – letting us know when improvements are required, and always praising good work and effort,“ And, “I was completely new to care but I got the full package with training, can ring up the office anytime, the best start to a job I’ve ever had.”

The provider and their representatives spoke of their vision for the service, and how the efforts of the registered manager had “created a buzz,” and, “Helped develop our ambitions for a greater recognition of the scheme’s benefits; it’s efficiencies and improved independence for people.” The registered manager had created workshops to ensure they built confidence for staff in certain processes to ensure they always met the regulations. Staff were provided with a blended approach to learning including specific courses tailored to meet the needs of the people they supported. This helped staff to understand the requirements of their role. Training was accessible to all and considered individual circumstances, this included opportunities to attend training outside of usual working hours, for example to accommodate caring responsibilities. Staff told us they were well supported by the registered manager and were able to discuss their job roles and personal development within supervisions and team meetings. The service had a ‘training champion’, this member of staff had a focus on accessing and developing relevant training to support and enhance the programme of courses available to staff. The registered manager informed us of their passion for “This model of care enabling people we support the right level of support in a home environment where they can exercise the same rights as people who do not live with similar health conditions.” Recruitment practices were comprehensive and included the skill matching of staff, environmental considerations, and people involvement in interviews. This holistic approach was underpinned by a panel for assessment to collaborate with all relevant individuals to ensure the best support for people.

We did not look at Infection prevention and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Medicines optimisation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.