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Shared Lives

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

G3 County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2NP (01905) 844264

Provided and run by:
Worcestershire County Council

All Inspections

18 November 2019

During a routine inspection

About the service

Shared Lives is a shared lives scheme which provides people with long-term placements, short breaks and respite care, within shared lives carers (SLC) own homes. At the time of the inspection there were one hundred and ten people living with shared lives carers and receiving a registered service.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The provider had not ensured they had displayed their previous rating on their website as they are required to do by law.

People and shared lives carers were positive about the way the service was managed and told us this helped provide the support they wanted. The registered manager and staff checked the quality of support provided, so they could be sure people received the care they wanted, and care was provided in ways which promoted people’s independence. Staff reflected on their practice and were supported to work with people and other health and social care professionals to improve people’s support further. The registered manager planned future developments of the scheme in line with nationally recognised best practice standards.

People’s care plan and assessments reflected their needs and choices and were regularly reviewed. Shared lives carers and staff supported people to enjoy a wide range of activities, and to keep in touch with people who were important to them. Procedures were in place to take learning from any complaints or concerns and people were confident their shared lives carers and staff would take action to support them. Staff gave us examples of actions they had taken, including working with other health and social care professionals, so people’s decisions at the end of their lives would be met. The registered manager planned to further develop people’s care plans, so people’s wishes would be respected in the event of their sudden death.

Staff recognised people’s right to independence when considering their safety needs and developed care plans and risk assessments which supported people to do things they enjoyed safely. Shared lives carers and staff knew what action to take if they had any concerns for people’s well-being and safety and were confident senior staff would support people to be as safe as possible. People told us they had prompt assistance from their shared lives carers and staff when they wanted support. Some people enjoyed the independence of managing their own medicines. Where people needed assistance from shared lives carers to have the medicines they needed to remain well, people could rely on staff support shared lives carers who had been trained to do this safely.

People had developed close bonds with their shared lives carers. People and shared lives staff told us staff were kind and empathetic when supporting people. Shared lives carers and staff knew people well and spoke respectfully about them. People were assisted and supported to make their own decisions about their care. Shared lives carers and staff understood people’s rights to dignity, privacy and supported people to develop their independence.

People’s needs were carefully considered and assessed before they started to be supported by shared lives carers and staff, and care was planned which reflected people’s preferences and needs. Shared lives carers and staff had been provided with training and developed skills which were linked to the needs of the people they supported. Some people liked the independence of preparing their own drinks and food. Where people required specific support from shared lives carers to have enough to eat and drink assistance was provided, which reflected people’s preferences and so they would remain well. Staff and shared lives carers assisted people to see other health and social care professionals promptly, so they would enjoy the best health possible. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 25 May 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Enforcement

We have identified a breach in relation to the requirement to display previous inspection ratings at this inspection. Full information about CQC's regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

20 April 2017

During a routine inspection

At this inspection we found the service remained good.

The Shared Lives scheme recruits, trains and supports Shared Lives carers. Shared Lives carers provide personal care and support to people who live in their family home, which enables people to live as independently as possible. The scheme supports people aged over 18 who have a learning disability. Shared Lives workers are also employed by the scheme, their role is to assess, monitor and support Shared Lives carers and the people they support. There were 113 people who were using the service at the time of our visit.

People continued to receive safe care as they were supported by staff who knew how to protect them from harm. Staff were aware of people’s individual risks and plans were in place to minimise these while maintaining the person’s independence. People lived in the carers home, the registered manager told us that there was a maximum number of people the carers could support. This was based on people’s individual needs, the carers capacity within their home and dependency level of people who the carer was already supporting.

The service continued to be effective. The registered manager supported staff by arranging training so staff developed the skills to provide care and support to people, which was in-line with best practice. People receive care and support that was in line with their consent. People were supported by staff who knew their individual dietary requirements and how to support them in the right way. People had access to healthcare professionals when they required them.

The service remained caring towards people. People were treated well which had a positive impact on their well-being. People we spoke with told us that all staff spoke kindly to them and they felt happy and comfortable in their homes. Staff helped people to make choices about their care and the views and decisions they had made about their care were listened and acted upon.

The service remained responsive to people’s needs. People were involved in the planning and review of their care and support. People were supported to continue with their hobbies and interests which promoted their independence. Information was provided to people should they wish to raise a complaint. The provider had not received any complaints over the last 12 months.

The service remained well-led. The registered manager demonstrated clear leadership. Staff were supported to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively, so that people received care and support in-line with their needs and wishes. The checks the registered manager completed focused on people’s experience of care. Where areas for improvement were identified, systems were in place to ensure lessons were learnt and used to improve the service delivery.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

4 August 2014

During a routine inspection

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, and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

This inspection was announced. This meant that we gave the service short notice so that management and staff were available to assist with our inspection. This inspection was Shared Lives first inspection since they registered with CQC in September 2013.

The Shared Lives Scheme recruits, trains and supports Shared Lives carers who provide personal care and support for people within their own family homes in the community; enabling them to live as independently as possible. When we visited the scheme was supporting 115 people who lived in family homes and 96 approved Shared Lives carers. The scheme caters for people aged over 18 who have a disability and for older adults with care needs. Shared Lives workers were employed by the scheme to assess, monitor and support Shared Lives carers.

The service had a manager who was in the process of applying to become 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our findings from our inspection meant that the provider was not in breach of any regulations. We found that people were kept safe by trained staff who knew how to protect people. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs.

All the people we spoke with told us that they liked where they were living and that they were well cared for. People told us that they were supported to remain independent and received assistance when they needed it. They told us that their shared lives carer knew what their preferences were and they did hobbies and interests that they enjoyed.

Shared Lives carers told us that they had received the support and training they needed to carry out their role. Procedures and systems were in place which ensured that people who used the service were supported by Shared Lives carers who were suitable for their role.

Shared Lives workers told us that they had received the support they needed to carry out their role. They told us training was good and always on-going to maintain their skills and knowledge. We found that systems were in place for Shared Lives workers to follow so that assessment and monitoring of carers and the Shared Lives placement took place.

All the people we spoke with told us that their views were asked for and they had someone they could talk to if needed. All the staff that we spoke with in the different roles throughout the scheme understood their responsibility to speak out about poor practice if they needed to. Shared Lives workers told us that regular meetings took place so that there was an opportunity to learn and share good practice.

We found the manager had systems in place which ensured the quality of the care was monitored. The provider was in the process of developing a questionnaire to send to carers and people who used the service. Audits such as incidents and accidents, record keeping and staff training were monitored. Where there were any actions following these audits they were followed up and improvements had been made. The provider wrote case studies in which lessons would be learnt and best practice would be shared with the Shared Lives workers. This meant there were systems in place to continually monitor the quality of the service provided to better achieve safe and effective care.