The Care Quality Commission
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Royal Greenwich Shared Lives

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

The Woolwich Centre, 2nd Floor, 35 Wellington Street, Woolwich, SE18 6HQ (020) 8921 6120

Provided and run by:
London Borough of Greenwich

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Royal Greenwich Shared Lives (RGSL) is a community based accommodation service which supports carers who provide personal care and support for people within their own family homes and community to enable people to live as independently as possible. The service provides support for people who have mental health needs and learning or physical disabilities. We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. 'Right support, right care, right culture' is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it. At the time of the assessment, 21 people were receiving personal care. Assessment activity started on 11 April 2024 and ended on 21 June 2024. We looked at 7 quality statements; Safeguarding; Involving people to manage risks; Safe and effective staffing; Assessing needs, Consent to care and treatment, Independence, choice and control and Equity in experiences and outcomes. We met and spoke with the registered manager during the onsite assessment. Following the onsite assessment, we spoke with 4 people, 4 relatives, 2 placement officers, 2 carers and received feedback from 3 healthcare professionals and an advocate. At our last inspection the service was rated good. During this assessment, the service continues to be rated good. Systems were in place to help protect people from the risk of harm. Staff were recruited safely and trained appropriately. The organisation had a culture which put people and their needs at the forefront of the service and was widely understood and practiced by staff. Management evaluated the quality of service provided. The service worked effectively with health and social care professionals which helped ensure people’s needs were fully met.

5 January 2018

During a routine inspection

We undertook an announced inspection on 5 January 2018 of Royal Greenwich Shared Lives (RGSL). RGSL trains and supports shared lives carers (carers) who provide personal care and support for people within their own family homes and community to enable people to live as independently as possible. RGSL caters for adults who have a learning or physical disability or need support to maintain their mental health. At the time of the inspection, 39 people were using the service and 11 people were receiving respite care.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission [CQC] 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.

At the last inspection on 27 January 2015, the service was rated Good.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People's health and social care needs had been appropriately assessed. Care plans were person-centred, and specific to each person and their needs. Care preferences were documented and carers we spoke with were aware of people's likes and dislikes. Care plans were regularly reviewed and were updated when people's needs changed.

Systems and processes were in place to help protect people from the risk of harm. Carers had received training in safeguarding adults and knew how to recognise and report any concerns or allegations of abuse. Risks to people were identified and managed so that people were safe

Systems were in place to make sure people received their medicines safely.

Carers had been carefully recruited and provided with induction and training to enable them to support people effectively. They had the necessary support, supervision and appraisals from management.

Carers we spoke with had an understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Capacity to make specific decisions was recorded in people's care plans.

People were supported with the nutritional and hydration needs. Carers were aware of people’s dietary requirements and the support they needed with their food and drink.

Carers told us that they received up to date information about the service and had an opportunity to share good practice and any concerns they had at team meetings.

There was a management structure in place with a team of carers, five placement officers, an administrator, the registered manager and the provider. Carers spoke positively about working for the service.

The quality of the service was monitored by regular monitoring visits and annual reviews of people’s care. Feedback about the service was also sought through questionnaires. Feedback was positive about the service people received.

27 October and 18 November 2015

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place between 27 October and 18 November 2015. The inspection was announced to ensure someone would be available to provide us with the information we needed. Our last inspection of 29 November 2013 found that the service met essential standards relating to care and welfare of people who use services, cooperating with other providers, assessing and monitoring the quality of the service, and complaints.

Royal Greenwich Shared Lives provides support with personal care to around 55 people with learning disabilities in Shared Lives placements. Some people also have physical disabilities or need support to maintain their mental health. Support is provided by 31 self-employed Shared Lives carers (SL carers) who are contracted by the scheme to support people as well as provide them with a place to live. Some people who use the service live with their SL carer full-time, while others live with unpaid, family carers and stay with their SL carer for short breaks or respite. The scheme employs five placement officers who monitor and support the SL carers in their work. The service is provided by the London Borough of Greenwich.

The scheme had a registered manager in place. 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.

People who use the service were provided with highly personalised, individualised support that met their needs. SL carers encouraged and supported people to learn new skills, undertake the activities they wished to do and maintain relationships with their family and friends. People told us they were supported to maintain good health and access health care services when they needed them.

People were supported by SL carers who had been through an extensive vetting and approval process to ensure they were suitable people to provide support. The service had an approval panel in place, chaired by a person independent of the scheme, and people who use the service played an integral role in assessing and presenting prospective SL carers to the panel for approval.

Scheme staff supported SL carers and people who use the service through a structured programme of monitoring visits. SL carers also had an annual review of their work, and were presented to the approval panel for re-validation every three years to ensure their ongoing suitability for the work. Training for scheme staff and SL carers was specific to the Shared Lives model and new SL carers had an extensive induction and probationary period.

People who use the service, their relatives and representatives and SL carers were highly involved in decision-making about the scheme. The scheme sought feedback in a number of different ways and acted upon it. Feedback from professionals involved with people who use the service was highly positive.

People were supported safely. Risks associated with people’s support were assessed and strategies were in place to mitigate those risks. Most SL carers had regular support SL carers they used to ensure safer, consistent support when they took their annual leave or were otherwise unable to support the person.

The scheme used a personalised ‘matching process’ to ensure compatibility between the person and the SL carer before the placement commenced. People were also empowered to become full members of the SL carer’s household.

The scheme was well-managed and plans were in place to further develop the scheme to provide support to more people. Scheme staff and SL carers were provided with opportunities to further develop their skills and knowledge and the registered manager effectively monitored the quality of the service people received.

29 November 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke to five people who used the service. They told us that they were happy with the service they were receiving. One person said 'it's really good, I'm happy'. We examined the providers' methods and policies for assessment of a person who required the service. We found these arrangements to be thorough. We also looked at the care they were providing. When we spoke to people who used the service they were overwhelmingly positive.

We looked at how the provider co-operated with other agencies; we found they had a strong network which benefitted the people who used the service. This inspection also looked at how the provider was monitoring the quality of the care its staff were giving. We found that there was a strong emphasis on training and that communication with staff was made available through a variety of means.

We spoke to carers who were supported by the provider. The vast majority of them were positive and felt supported, though a couple felt that sometimes the provider was conducting too many reviews. We also looked at how the provider handled complaints about the service. We found they had a thorough system in place and were able to use the lessons learnt by an incident to inform their practice in the future.

8, 14 February 2013

During a routine inspection

Five people who used the service and their relatives we spoke with told us they were very happy with the service they received, and had good experiences living with carers and their families. They said carers were helpful and respectful and that they were very happy and had no concerns. They said that they had good health care and facilities and that other people from the agency and social services visited often to check on their care needs. One person who used the service told us; "I am very happy here and have lots of activities such as seeing friends and doing a part time job'.

Five people we spoke with who used the service told us they were involved in the planning of their care, and had been asked for their views when reviews were carried out.

We reviewed information five people's care and found that their care needs were being planned for. We spoke with carers and found that they understood people's care needs and how to protect them from risk and harm. We found that supervisory staff and carers had adequate training and supervision and were supported by the agency's management to do their job. Carers we spoke with said the management were supportive and provided good training and supervision. The provider used effective systems to regularly check that care was being provided safely and appropriately, including regular visits to people's homes each month.

5 January 2012

During a routine inspection

People told us that most of the time they made decisions about what they did each day, and sometimes they required help from their carers. They were aware who to speak to if they were unhappy or had problem where they were living.

People told us that they had good relations with the carers and staff. They were treated with respect and dignity and had been assisted to maintain their independence.

People felt safe and comfortable with carers and staff, and were satisfied with the level and quality of services being provided to them.