Archived: Grace Eyre Shared Lives Sussex

Updated 13 December 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

This inspection took place on 21 August 2018 and was announced. We told the registered manager a week before our inspection that we would be coming. This was because we wanted to talk with staff and people using the service. We also wanted to make sure that the registered manager and other appropriate staff were available to speak with us on the day of our inspection. One inspector undertook the inspection, with an expert by experience. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert by experience gathered feedback from three people by speaking with them over the telephone.

We used information the provider had sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make’. We looked at other information we held about the service. This included previous inspection reports and notifications. Notifications are changes, events or incidents that the service must inform us about. We contacted two local authority commissioning teams, who have responsibility for monitoring the quality and safety of the service provided to local authority funded people. We contacted seven shared lives carers, and three people using the service over the telephone. We requested feedback from four health and social care professionals.

During the inspection we visited the provider’s office and spoke with the registered manager and two coordinators. We also spoke with seven people using the service who were attending the Grace Eyre day care facility. We spent time reviewing the records of the service, including policies and procedures, four people’s care and support plans, the recruitment records for two new shared lives staff, complaints recording, accident/incident and safeguarding records. We also looked at action plans, quality assurance audits and service development plans.

This is the first inspection since a change in the existing providers registration following a move of the provider’s offices.

Updated 13 December 2018

This inspection took place on 21 August 2018 and was announced. This was the first inspection since a change in the existing providers registration following a move of the provider’s offices. However, Grace Eyre Shared Lives Sussex was not a new service. It was still owned and managed by the provider as at our previous inspection. We last inspected the service on 20 June 2016 and rated the service as Good with Outstanding in Caring.

The Grace Eyre Foundation provides support for people who have a learning disability and/or a mental health need, through shared lives services, day care, housing and domiciliary support.

Grace Eyre Shared Lives Sussex is registered to provide personal care for children sixteen years and above, adults and older people living in Sussex and Brighton and Hove. The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

In shared lives, people who need support and or accommodation become a regular visitor to, or moves in with, an approved shared lives carer. Together, they share family and community life and in many cases the individual becomes part of a supportive family. Shared lives carers and people they care for are matched for compatibility and can develop real relationships. The shared lives carer acts as ‘extended family’, so that someone can live at the heart of their community in a supportive family setting. Care and support was offered for long-term and short-term respite placements. A ‘day share’ facility was also available where people can go to a shared lives carers home for the day who provide care, support and activities. A kinship arrangement was also in place. This was where shared lives carers provide, ‘Long arm’ care and support to people living independently in their own homes. Approximately 80 people, of which 43 received the regulated activity personal care, were supported by 66 approved shared lives carers in the scheme. Not all the shared lives carers provided the regulated activity of personal care at the time of the inspection. But were supporting people with developing access into their local neighbourhood and helping develop people’s life skills towards improved independence. Shared lives carers were supported and managed by shared lives staff employed by the scheme.

As part of the scheme staff were working on a pilot project to support care leavers from the age of 16 years plus within West Sussex. Shared lives staff had been collaboratively working with another local authority scheme also in the pilot. They were working with Shared Live Plus, the UK network for shared lives schemes on the policy and procedures to be followed. Staff were in the process of being recruited and trained. The pilot was not up and running at the time of the inspection so was not looked at on this occasion.

There was a registered manager in post. 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. There was a clear management structure for the service with identified leadership roles. The registered manager was supported by three coordinators, a transition manager and administrative support.

Since the new registration there had been several changes with a new registered manager and changes in the senior staff team. A shared lives carer told us, “There have been a lot of changes and it has improved a lot. I did not feel very well supported. Now if I tell them anything they follow it up to see if the people or I need anything. (Registered manager’s name and coordinator's name) are approachable. The (Registered manager’s name) came out last week. He has had a lot to take on and he has done a lot to move it on.”

The organisation was outstandingly caring as they strove to ensure the service was ‘service user led.’ There were a range of work opportunities, forums and accessible information to support and enable people to give their views on the care and support provided, and to be actively part of the development and running of the service. These had continued to be developed to provide further opportunities for people to be involved in the service provided. People were enthusiastic and committed to the roles they had taken on. They spoke of being valued and enjoyed the opportunity to contribute to the running of the service.

Care and support provided was personalised and based on the identified needs of each individual. People were supported where possible to develop their life skills and increase their independence. People’s care plans were detailed and reviewed regularly.

People told us they felt safe in the service. One person told us they felt safe because, “They are always there to help me out.” People were supported by shared lives staff and carers who were trained in safeguarding adults procedures and knew how to recognise signs of abuse. Medicines were managed safely and people received the support they required from shared lives carers. Accidents and incidents had been recorded and appropriate action had been taken.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported to eat a healthy and nutritious diet. People had access to health care professionals and had been supported to have an annual healthcare check. People were encouraged to develop their independence in relation to life skills. The registered manager could tell us about one person who the shared lives carers had supported through attendance at healthcare appointments, and by providing information to make his own decision about any treatment required. People were supported to access a range of activities.

New shared lives carers underwent rigorous assessment and checks before being ‘matched’ with people who needed support. A member of staff told us, “We are really proud of how we match people.” People’s equality and diversity needs had been considered when they were matched with potential carers. People told us how they liked their accommodation and enjoyed living with their shared lives carers. One person told us,” I have a big bedroom. The best in the house.” One member of staff told us, “It gives people a better life and a chance to be in a family environment. It’s lovely for them.”

People were supported by kind caring staff. One person described their shared lives carer as, “Nice, kind and caring.” Another person said their experience in shared lives was, “The best got no complaints lovely here.” Shared lives coordinators and carers were supported to develop their skills and knowledge by receiving training which helped them to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively. Shared lives carers told us they were up-to-date with their training, “We have really good access to training,” and “Training dates are booked. It’s some E Learning and some class room training.” They had received regular supervision and appraisal.

There was a detailed complaints procedure. People knew who to talk to if they had any concerns. The registered manager told us that they operated an 'open door policy' so people, their representatives or shared lives staff could discuss any concerns.

Shared lives staff told us that communication throughout the service was good. The shared lives carers told us they felt well supported by management and were positive and enthusiastic about their roles. A member of staff told us, “I have known Grace Eyre for years. I like the shared lives. It’s been difficult and they have had a whole new team and missed communication. A lot of information has changed. It’s improved and the teams much stronger and communication has improved.”