Bexley Shared Lives

Updated 12 March 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. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team: This inspection was carried out by a single inspector.

Service and service type:

London Borough of Bexley (Shared Lives) scheme supports people to live with Shared Lives Carers (SLCs) within the SLC's home in their local area. The scheme recruits, trains and supports self-employed SLCs to provide care and support to vulnerable adults 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 five days notice of the inspection site visit because we needed to be sure people using the service and SLCs would be able to speak with us, either in person or on the telephone.

The inspection site visit started on 12 February 2019 when we visited the office location to see the registered manager and office staff. We asked for permission from people and SLCs to speak with them about their experiences of using the service. The inspection ended on 15 February 2019 after we had spoken with people using the service and their SLCs in person or by phone and we visited two people and their SLCs at their home.

What we did:

Before the inspection we reviewed information we had received about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must tell us about, such as any serious injuries to people. The provider also completed a provider information return. 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 this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with five people using the service, seven SLCs, the registered manager and the scheme administrator. We reviewed a range of records including parts of four people's care and support plans and reviews, risk assessments, SLCs recruitment and training records. We also reviewed records used in managing the service for example policies and procedures monitoring records and minutes of meetings.

After the inspection we contacted two health professionals to gather their views about the service.

Updated 12 March 2019

About the service: London Borough of Bexley (Shared Lives) is a Shared Lives Service that recruits, trains and supports self-employed Shared Lives Carers(SLCs) who provide placements and respite care for vulnerable adults within their own family homes in the community. The service supports people with learning disabilities and or autism.

Not everyone using this shared lives service receives a regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'. This includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. In these circumstances we also take into account any wider social care provided. At this inspection there were 18 people using the service who received personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

¿People received person-centred care that met their needs, encouraged them to learn new skills and increased their confidence, It helped them to achieve their goals and be active in the local community, where this was their choice.

¿ People's privacy, dignity and independence was promoted. SLCs and scheme staff understood the Equality Act and supported people’s diverse needs.

¿The service applied the values and principles of CQC guidance Registering the Right Support (RRS) and other best practice guidance; as people were enabled to make choices about their lives and were supported to be as independent as possible. These principles ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

¿People told us they felt safe. Staff and SLC knew how to recognise signs of abuse or harm and what action they needed to take to keep people safe.

¿ Robust recruitment and assessment checks were completed before SLCs were approved to join the scheme. People were matched to suitable SLCs who fully involved them in their home and family life as much as people chose. There were enough staff and SLC to run the scheme.

¿ SLCs told us they were very well supported by the scheme and they received suitable training to meet the needs of people using the service. Dedicated training was provided to meet people’s individual health needs.

¿ People's needs were assessed before they joined the scheme and where risks were identified, there were plans in place to manage these safely.

¿ Medicines were safely managed. SLCs knew how to reduce any infection risks for people.

¿ People were supported to maintain good health and had access to healthcare services. SLCs worked with health professionals to meet people’s needs.

¿ People were encouraged to eat healthily and to develop skills in food preparation.

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

¿ There was a registered manager and people, SLCs and staff spoke positively about the way they ran the service.

¿ There were effective systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service provided.

¿ Feedback from people, SLCs and families was requested and acted on.

¿ The service worked with other organisations and professionals to plan and deliver an effective service.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 23 August 2016)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. We found the service continued to meet the characteristics of Good in all areas.

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

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