We carried out a review of the data available to us about Shared Lives Bedford on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Shared Lives Bedford, you can give feedback on this service.
People’s experience of using this service:
People told us they were very happy living with their shared lives carers and found them very supportive and helpful.
People wrote in to the service with lots of compliments about experiences they had with shared lives carers such as holidays, birthday celebrations and day trips. The comments made by people show that they feel respected and treated in a way which upheld their dignity.
We found practices, systems and process in place which showed the service met the characteristics of good in all key areas.
Risk assessments detailed people’s preferences and needs well, promoting positive risk taking. People gained employment and learned to travel alone to work and access their local community independently.
Shared Lives Bedford recruitment procedure was thorough and included reviewing past employment history, references, and criminal record checks. We spoke to the registered manager about keeping copies of the records they checked at staff interviews and they have agreed to do this.
Staffing levels were appropriate for the care needs of the person. The registered manager used a tool which identified people’s interest’s strengths and experiences to match people to the right Shared Lives staff.
Staff manage medicines well and support people to self-medicate where possible.
The registered manager shared lessons learnt from any incidents and communicated with people and carers. Communication was varied to meet people’s individual needs using written, pictorial or verbal methods.
Assessments of people’s needs gave voice to people’s choices and preferences while promoting independence.
Staff had a good awareness of deprivation of liberty safeguards to enable people to have choice and control over their lives and ensuring any restrictions were the least restrictive.
People and carers were involved in all aspects of reviews and these included regular formal meetings as well as more relaxed phone calls and visits to their home. People gave feedback on their care and agree goals for the future.
Staff received all training they required for their role and regularly updated their knowledge and skills. The registered manager supported staff with formal supervision and regular phone calls which they recorded and actions followed up.
Staff encouraged people to live healthy lifestyles and meet their dietary needs with regular access to healthcare professionals. Shared Lives did not currently support anyone with end of life care but had policies and training programmes to ensure this could be safely and sensitivity managed.
The service had policies and processes for recording and managing complaints. The registered manager recorded people’s concerns in the complaints documents and other documents such as logs of telephone conversations and all complaints were responded to appropriately.
There is a lot of evidence of robust quality assurance systems in place and regular feedback sought from carers and people which helped ensure a quality service. This was reflected in comments by people and staff
The registered manager takes part in a variety of local network meetings to share ideas and look for ways of improving the service. This benefited people and staff as the registered manager was able to access further training and resources.
Rating at last inspection: Shared Lives Bedford received a rating of good at their last inspection. (The last report was published on 12 April 2016)
Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.
This inspection was announced and took place on 08 March 2016.
The service had a registered manager. 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 were systems in place to ensure that people were protected from harm or abuse. Staff and shared lives carers received training in this area and were aware of their responsibilities in terms of recording abuse. The service had a positive approach to risk, and encouraged people to take risks. In these cases, the risks were assessed and steps put in place to keep people as safe as possible. Staff and shared lives carers were recruited following robust procedures to ensure they were suitable for their roles. People were encouraged to manage their own medication, but training and support was available for shared lives carers, to ensure this was done safely and correctly.
New staff members and shared lives carers received induction training, to ensure they had the skills they needed to perform their roles. They also received on-going training which was specific to the individual that they were providing care for. There was regular support and supervision for members of staff and shared lives carers, to ensure they were confident and comfortable in their role. Shared lives carers worked with people to provide them with a healthy diet and to involve them in the preparation of their meals. They also supported people to have access to healthcare professionals when necessary.
There were strong relationships between people and their shared lives carers. People lived in family settings and were treated as a member of the family by shared lives carers and their other family members. There were also strong relationships with members of staff from the service, who provided support for people, as well as shared lives carers to help make sure placements were successful. People had been involved in planning their care and were consulted about how they wanted to be cared for. People were treated with dignity and respect and supported to develop and maintain relationships with friends and other family members.
There was a robust procedure in place to ensure people were matched up with a suitable shared lives carer, to give their placement every chance of success. Regular meetings and reviews were held with people both with and without their shared lives carers to ensure they were happy with their care and to make any adjustments necessary to their care plans. There were systems in place to get people's feedback about their care, as well as to receive and deal with any comments or complaints that people raised.
People and their shared lives carers were positive about the service they received, including the support they got from the service. People were aware of who the registered manager was and felt they were able to contact them if needed. Staff were empowered to perform their roles and were keen to help the service develop. There were quality assurance systems in place to monitor the care being provided, and to identify areas for improvement.
We found staff had received training on how to make mental capacity decisions. There were safeguards in place to protect people within the legal framework.
A robust system for meeting the needs of individuals had been developed. People were fully involved in developing the support they needed to promote their independence and self-confidence.
The service provider had a robust system in place to monitor the quality of the service. A new manager had been appointed and was in the process of registering with the commission for this service. The manager was already a registered manager for another service linked to the Shared Lives Bedfordshire Scheme, which operated from the same location.
Shared Lives Bedfordshire employed two support workers responsible for the oversight of the scheme and they recruited, assessed and matched Shared Lives carers with people who needed support. People receiving support lived with Shared Lives carers in the carer's home often as part of a wider extended family.
We saw evidence that records completed involving people using the service, were provided with picture and text to aid people in understanding these documents. Records were kept securely.
Support plans showed that people and their families, if applicable, had been involved in the development of their support plans. This was confirmed in discussions we had with people using the service.
The recruitment process was robust and all files we looked at contained the necessary employment checks.
People felt their views were listened to and felt confident to make a complaint if they needed to.