Archived: Shared Lives Service

Updated 24 August 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was undertaken by one inspector and two assistant inspectors. The inspector visited the Shared Lives Service office on 11 and 18 June and met people and shared lives carers at a social function on 20 June 2019. Two assistant inspectors contacted shared lives carers by telephone on 14 June 2019.

Service and service type

Share Lives Service is a shared lives scheme, they recruit, train and support self-employed shared lives carers (SLC) who offer accommodation and support arrangements for vulnerable adults within their own family homes in the community.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service two working days' notice of the inspection because we needed the service to make contact with the carers and people that used the service to ask if we could speak or meet with them.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We met with six people who used the service and 10 shared lives carers. We also spoke with 13 shared lives carers on the telephone about their experience providing care. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager and four shared lives officers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s care records and medication records. We looked at four shared lives carers recruitment and assessment files. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 24 August 2019

About the service

Shared Lives Service is a shared lives scheme which provides people with long-term placements, short breaks and respite care, within shared lives carers (SLC) own homes.A total 56 shared lives carers had been appointed and some carers had been approved to care for more than one person. At the time of our inspection 59 people were living in long-term shared lives arrangements, and 35 people accessed shared lives for respite only.

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 that 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.

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.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

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

People received care from shared lives carers who welcomed them into their family homes where people thrived. A shared lives carer said, “Excellent service overall, well supported in all aspects, fabulous scheme.”

Shared lives carers showed compassion, kindness and great humanity in supporting people to develop their lives. Opening their homes to people had created environments, additional family and friends that accepted them as an individual. People had become part of the carers’ lives and community, leading to additional positive relationships and well-being.

People consistently received safe care from staff that understood their responsibilities. People were supported to take positive risks and take responsibilities whilst assessing their risks. This had enabled people to become more independent and confident.

The careful process of recruiting shared lives carers meant people could be matched with carers that had similar lifestyles and interests. Shared lives carers received training specifically to meet people’s individual needs. They were continuously supported by a team of staff who were dedicated to facilitating the best outcomes for people, often going above and beyond what is expected of them.

People used technology to improve their independence and information was made accessible. People were engaged in their care planning and set goals they wanted to achieve. Some people had surpassed their original goals and had gone on to be more independent than they ever thought they could be.

People were supported to understand how to keep healthy and eat well. Staff and shared lives carers worked closely with health professionals and other agencies to ensure people received healthcare in ways that reduced their anxieties and improved their health.

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.

People’s privacy, dignity and independence was made a priority in supporting people in all areas of life. People could plan for their future, including their wishes at end of life.

The management and staff team were always looking to improve people’s care and consulted people and carers about their care. Regular audits and feedback were used to measure the quality of care and used to make improvements.

The provider had a good oversight of the service, with robust systems in place to monitor the safety and quality of the service. The registered manager continued to develop relationships with other agencies and services to ensure people could access services as needed and promote the excellent Shared Lives Service.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 19 April 2018 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for this service was outstanding (published 16 February 2018). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed. We have used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the date of registration.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Shared Lives Service on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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