Background to this inspection
Updated
15 January 2019
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.
This inspection took place on 5, 6 and 7 December 2018 and was announced. We gave the service notice of the inspection site visits because we wanted to be able to speak with key people and make arrangements to visit people and shared lives providers in their homes. The site visit included speaking to management and staff at the office base, visits to people and carers in their homes and attendance at a training session held for carers.
Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We looked at the information in the PIR and also looked at other information we held about the service before the inspection visit.
During the inspection we spoke with eight people who used the service, 17 shared lives providers and four members of staff. The registered manager was not available at the time of the inspection but an acting manager was available throughout the visit.
We looked at a number of records relating to individual care and the running of the service. These included eight support plans, monitoring visit records, training records and two application files for shared lives providers.
Updated
15 January 2019
This inspection took place on 5, 6 and 7 December 2018 and was announced.
Somerset Adult Placement Scheme provides a shared lives service. The shared lives scheme enables people to receive care and support in a family type situation. Shared lives providers share their family and community life with someone who needs support to live independently.
The scheme's four staff are employed by the service but shared lives providers are self-employed.
The scheme matches people to self-employed carers who support people within their own homes. It gives people the opportunity of experiencing life in a supported family setting either on a long-term basis, or for shorter term respite care.
The scheme provides a service to people with Learning Disabilities or Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
At the time of the inspection the scheme was supporting over 100 people in 60 approved households. The service is able to provide long term care and respite and holiday breaks for people.
The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.” Registering the Right Support CQC policy
There is a registered manager in post but at the time of the inspection they had been away from the scheme for an extended period of time. 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.
At the time of the inspection an acting manager from another well-established scheme was providing temporary management cover.
Improvements were needed to make sure the provider was effectively monitoring the quality of the scheme and had action plans in place to make ongoing improvements. Since changes to the county wide provision of services to people with learning disabilities, management of the scheme had become reactive rather than pro-active.
Further improvements were needed to make sure roles and responsibilities of scheme staff were clear and fully understood by shared lives providers and people using the service.
People were not always cared for by shared lives providers who had received up to date training in relevant topics. Scheme staff supported providers in gaining basic knowledge but a number of providers felt training was an area which could be improved.
People’s needs were assessed and, in most cases, they were well matched to shared lives providers. People had opportunities to try out different households to see which suited them best.
People had support plans which gave basic information about their needs and how they wished to be assisted. These plans could be enhanced to show people’s ambitions and how they would be supported to achieve these.
People felt safe and said they had people they could talk with if they had any concerns or were unhappy about any aspect of their support. Scheme staff carried out regular monitoring visits to ensure people’s safety and review the support they received.
People were supported by staff and shared lives providers who were caring and compassionate. People had built strong and trusting relationships which had helped them to build confidence and independence. People we spoke with were enjoying family life.
People had opportunities to take part in a variety of social and work activities in accordance with their abilities and interests. People told us they had opportunities to keep in touch with families and friends and had made new friendships through the scheme.
People were supported to live healthy lifestyles and accessed healthcare professionals according to their individual needs. One person said, “They [shared lives provider] help me to make appointments. She will come with me if I want her to.”