The Shared Lives Scheme

Updated 15 January 2019

The 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 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.

Inspection team: Two inspectors visited this service.

Service and service type: The Shared Lives Scheme is managed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council. The scheme offers long/short term arrangements and short breaks for people with learning disabilities, providing accommodation, care and support with approved carers in the East Riding of Yorkshire area.

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: The inspection was announced. We gave the provider 24 hours’ notice to ensure people who used the service were available to assist us.

What we did when preparing for and carrying out this inspection:

We reviewed information we held about the service, such as notifications we had received from the provider, information from the local authorities that commissioned services and Healthwatch, England. Notifications are when providers send us information about certain changes, events or incidents that occur within the service. Healthwatch, England is an independent service which exists to speak up and publicise the views of local people in health and social care settings. Before the inspection, we reviewed the Provider Information Return (PIR) that the provider completed. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection, we spoke with four people who used the service and three shared lives carers who provided their support. In addition, we spoke with a healthcare professional.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people's care records and medication records. We also looked at records relating to the management of the service.

Updated 15 January 2019

What life is like for people using this service:

People who used the service told us they were happy. The registered manager provided support to find suitable placements for people to assist with their individual needs. Shared lives carers provide a family environment where people have developed lifelong relationships. People were supported to maintain their independence and to live as ordinary a life as any citizen. People were very much 'at home' in their placements and had warm, caring and respectful relationships with their carers.

The service provided mandatory training for shared lives carers, which included safeguarding, administration of medicines, basic life support and data protection. The service also required shared lives carers to complete the Care Certificate before any placements were agreed. The Care Certificate is a nationally recognised set of standards that introduces them to their roles and responsibilities within a care service.

The registered manager and shared lives carers understood the principles of the Mental

Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), and supported people in line with these principles. People who lacked capacity were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Policies and systems in The Shared Lives Scheme supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People had good access to support from health care professionals and the shared lives carers were pro-active in recognising when interventions were required to ensure a person's wellbeing.

Appropriate assessment checks were carried out on all applications from people to become a shared lives carer. A minimum of three visits were completed by the registered manager to assess an applicant’s suitability to provide care and support, and to provide appropriate placements for people under the Shared Lives Scheme. This was then presented to a team within the East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a decision on the suitability of the applicants and agreed by the head of service.

Medicines were managed and administered safely. Records confirmed people had received their medicines as prescribed. Training records showed medication training for shared lives carers was completed annually and regular competency checks were completed by the registered manager.

The registered manager demonstrated a commitment to providing person-centred care for all people. People knew the registered manager and told us they trusted them. Shared lives carers felt the registered manager was supportive and approachable.

About the service: The Shared Lives Scheme is a scheme which recruits carers to provide care and support to people within their [carer’s] own home. The shared lives carers are self-employed and have a contract with The Shared Lives scheme within the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. The Shared Lives Scheme is a national service that supports adults with learning disabilities, mental health problems and other needs, which make it harder for them to live on their own. The shared lives carers were supported by the registered manager who is the only employed member of staff at this service. At the time of inspection, there were 21 registered families and 19 people being supported in long term arrangements.

The service had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values included choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with a learning disability were supported to live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

Rating at last inspection: Good

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. The service has retained its rating of good following this inspection.

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