The Care Quality Commission
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Archived: Sunderland Shared Lives

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Shared Lives (Adult Placement Scheme), Fulwell Community Resource Centre, Fulwell Road, Sunderland, Tyne And Wear, SR6 9QW (0191) 561 2274

Provided and run by:
Sunderland City Council

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile
Important: This service is now registered at a different address - see new profile

All Inspections

22 September 2017

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on 22 and 27 September 2017 and was announced. This was to ensure someone would be available to speak with us and show us records.

Sunderland Shared Lives is an adult placement scheme. The scheme oversees carers who provide care and support to adults who have learning disabilities. On the day of our inspection there were 17 people using the service. The registered manager and senior support worker are employed by Sunderland Shared Lives, however, carers are self-employed and have a contract with Sunderland Shared Lives.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like 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.

We last inspected the service in September 2015 and rated the service as ‘Good.’ At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’ and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded and monitored. The manager understood their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding and carers had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults.

Appropriate arrangements were in place for the safe administration of medicines.

Appropriate health and safety checks had been carried out, and risk assessments were in place.

The provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant vetting checks when employing carers. Carers were suitably trained and received regular supervisions and appraisals.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, and carers supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People were protected from the risk of poor nutrition and carers were aware of people’s nutritional needs.

People were treated with dignity and respect and were helped to maintain their independence.

Care records showed that people’s needs were assessed before they started using the service and support plans were written in a person-centred way. Person-centred is about ensuring the person is at the centre of any care or support plans and their individual wishes, needs and choices are taken into account.

Activities were arranged for people who used the service based on their likes and interests and to help meet their social needs.

The provider had an effective complaints procedure in place and people who used the service and carers were made aware of how to make a complaint.

The provider had an effective quality assurance process in place. Carers said they felt supported by the management team.

21, 24, 28 August and 2 September 2015

During a routine inspection

This inspection took place on the 21, 24, 28 August and 2 September 2015. The inspection was announced. This was the first inspection of Sunderland Shared Lives.

Sunderland Shared Lives is managed by one registered manager with the support of one other staff member. 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.

18 people lived in Shared Lives placements within family homes and were supported by 15 families; some of which cared for two people.

Sunderland Shared Lives carers are self-employed and have a contract with Sunderland Shared Lives.

Staff and carers understood safeguarding and acknowledged that at times some people might make unwise decisions and take risks but this needed to be understood and the person supported.

Individual care plans and risk assessments were in place which identified the care people needed and how they wanted this to be delivered. Risks were identified within the care plan and measures put in place to manage them. One carer said, “We do dynamic risk assessments, we assess situations all the time.”

Where people needed specialist care in relation to mobility, health or diet appropriate referrals had been made and people had ongoing access to the care that was needed. Relevant care plans and risk assessments were in place to support people and their carers.

Emergency contingency plans had been developed with carers and these would be followed if carers were ever in a position where they were not available to care for the person living with them. Anyone who was named on this plan, or who lived with a cared for person had a completed DBS check which supported the registered manager to assess their suitability to work with vulnerable people.

Some carers had raised concerns about increased paperwork and had said they felt as though it was becoming more a job and a service than caring for someone as part of the family. The registered manager had introduced a diary which reduced the amount of paperwork as it could be used to record any significant events, such as appointments, accidents or incidents and change in circumstance. This was then reviewed by the registered manager to ensure the appropriate support was provided for the person and their carer.

Medicines were managed well and many of the people cared for administered their own medicines with minimal support from carers. Training was provided for carers who were involved in the administration of medicines.

The staff had attended all appropriate training and the registered manager was being creative in how training was delivered to carers and was working to develop training packages that were specific to the needs of Shared Lives carers as carers felt that some training was targeted more at traditional services such as residential care homes.

The mental capacity act was understood by staff and mental capacity act assessments had been completed in relation to finances and the signing of license agreements for people. Where it had been assessed that people lacked capacity the Court of Protection had been involved.

Shared Lives carers felt that the people they cared for were family members and they showed a great deal of affection for people, involving them in their immediate and extended family. People were very much ‘at home’ in their placements and had warm, caring and respectful relationships with their carers.

People and their carers were involved in decision making about care and were also consulted by Shared Lives staff in relation to paperwork and proposed changes to the service.

They had a clear vision for the future of Sunderland Shared Lives and felt well supported by their manager. The registered manager employed a range of audits and quality assurance systems to assess the effectiveness of the service and to drive improvements.