Archived: Shared Lives Cumbria

Updated 23 September 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector and 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.

Service and service type

Shared Lives Cumbria is a shared lives scheme, they recruit, train and support self-employed shared lives carers who offer accommodation and support arrangements for people within their own family homes in the community.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

There had been a registered manager in post until July 2022. The provider had informed us of changes to the management arrangements and how they were ensuring continued management oversight of the service.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced.

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 3 August 2022 and ended on 23 August 2022. We visited the location’s office on 3 August 2022. We gathered the views of people’s relatives and shared lives carers from 15 to 23 August 2022.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. Due to technical problems, the provider was not able to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). A PIR is information providers send us 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 the provider’s service manager and two shared lives scheme workers. We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and medication records. We looked at four shared lives carer’s files in relation to recruitment and training. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the service. We contacted six people’s relatives and six shared lives carers to gather their views. We reviewed further information the provider sent to us.

Updated 23 September 2022

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.

About the service

Shared Lives Cumbria is a shared lives scheme which provides people with long-term placements, short breaks, day support and respite care, within shared lives carers’ own homes. The service provides support to people who have a learning disability, autistic people, people who have mental health needs, people who have sensory impairment, older adults and people living with dementia.

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. At the time of our inspection 15 people received support with their personal care.

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

Right Support:

The service supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence and they had control over their own lives. Shared lives carers had completed training to ensure they understood the ethos of the service and to give people choices about their lives and care. People were supported by their shared lives carers to pursue their interests and to achieve their aspirations and goals.

People had fulfilling and meaningful lives because support focused on their strengths and promoted what they could do. Relatives and shared lives carers told us people had gained skills and independence. One shared lives carer told us, “[Person] has moved on now to live independently in the community. We still keep in touch though.”

Shared lives workers and carers supported people to access health and social care support in the community as they needed. People received the support they needed to take their medicines. Shared lives carers supported people with their medicines safely and in a way that promoted their independence.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and their shared lives carers supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Right Care:

People received kind and compassionate care from their shared lives carers. Shared lives carers protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They spoke about people with respect and were proud of the skills they had gained. One shared lives carer told us, “I am learning more from [people supported] than they are learning from me.” The shared lives carers understood and responded to people’s individual needs.

Shared lives carers understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. They had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. Shared lives carers reported any concerns to the shared lives workers. Shared lives workers worked well with other agencies to protect people.

The service had enough appropriately skilled shared lives carers to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. People who had individual ways of communicating, using body language, sounds, and pictures and symbols could interact comfortably with their shared lives carers because they had the necessary skills to understand people.

People’s care and support plans reflected their range of needs and promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life. Shared lives carers understood and responded to people’s individual needs. Where appropriate, they encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.

Right Culture:

People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the service management and shared lives workers. One relative told us, “It is a safe, welcoming and inclusive atmosphere.” Another relative said, “It’s such a nice and good service.”

People were supported by shared lives carers and workers who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Shared lives carers and workers knew and understood people well and were responsive, supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. They placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. One relative told us, “We have all found them supportive, not just for [relative] but for us all in her family.”

The management team, shared lives workers and carers ensured risks of a closed culture were minimised so that people received support based on transparency, respect and inclusivity. They treated people and their families with respect. One relative told us, “They base everything on what we want and need rather than telling us how it’s going to be, they include our ideas and wants.” Relatives and shared lives carers felt well supported by the shared lives workers. They told us they could raise any concerns and action was taken. People valued the service and told us they would recommend it.

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 2 July 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.