At the time of this inspection the service was providing a shared lives service in Nottingham to people with a learning disability within approximately 50 households. Placements for people were organised with shared lives carers on both a permanent and respite basis.Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service, relatives and staff told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.
If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary, please read the full report.
We spoke with three shared lives carers who were registered with the service and provided both permanent and respite care to people. We also spoke with three members of head office staff. We looked at written records, which included copies of people's care records held in the office, personnel files for the shared lives carers and their families and quality assurance documentation.
Is the service safe?
People were protected by safe, extensive and rigorous practices in the recruitment of shared lives carers.
People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent it from happening.
Is the service effective?
People were cared for by shared lives carers who were properly trained and supported by the shared lives provider. Some of these placements were long term and had been successful for many years. Placements were monitored regularly, both in the form of formal reviews and spot checks.
Is the service caring?
We spoke with three shared lives carers who had been recruited by the provider. One carer said, "The shared lives staff are a very good team. I find them open and honest people who are easy to work with." Another carer said, "The team care very much, not only about us as carers but about the people we support." In relation to taking people for respite care, one carer said, "I never feel under any pressure to take anyone. It's all about discussion and negotiation." All of the shared lives carers we spoke with stated they felt well supported by the shared lives team.
Is the service responsive?
People were consulted about and involved in their own care planning and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes.
All the shared lives carers we spoke with told us the people within the shared lives team were approachable and they would have no difficulty speaking to them if they had any concerns about the service. The provider took account of complaints and comments to improve the service.
Is the service well led?
Staff said that they felt well supported by the manager and the provider and they were able do their jobs safely. The service had a range of quality monitoring systems in place to ensure that care was being delivered appropriately by staff, that the service was continuously improving and that people were satisfied with the service they were receiving.