28 September 2016
During a routine inspection
We last inspected Shared Lives of Calderdale December 2013 and it was compliant in all areas inspected against at that time.
Calderdale Shared Lives Scheme provides a service for people who are vulnerable and need support to live independently in a family setting. The scheme widens the choice of services available to vulnerable people living in the community. Support is provided in three different ways; long term stay, respite care and day services.
The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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 and associated Regulations about
how the service is run.
People felt safe and they were being protected from harm and abuse by staff and shared lives workers who knew their responsibilities. Risks to people's health and well-being had been assessed to support them to remain safe.
People's individual needs had been considered to keep them safe during an emergency and the provider had a plan in place to make sure that the service would continue in the event of an emergency.
The provider sought to keep people safe by analysing accidents and incidents. They had looked to reduce the number of these whenever possible. For example, where a person's level of support needed to increase due to their mental health, guidance from a social worker had been requested.
People were being supported by staff who had been checked before they had started to work for the provider. This had helped the provider to make safer recruitment decisions. When a member of the public had applied to become a carer, we found there was a thorough process in place to check their suitability.
People received the support they required with their medicines. Staff and carers had received training to support them to handle medicines safely and there was written guidance available to them to provide safe support to people.
People received support from carers and staff who had undertaken training.
Staff and shared lives workers received support and guidance in order to understand their responsibilities. For example, shared lives workers had regular visits from staff members. The registered manager provided staff with regular meetings to support them to carry out their roles effectively.
People's consent to care and treatment had been documented. We found the provider working with the guidelines of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
People were being supported by staff and carers who understood the requirements of the MCA. They were able to describe how they would seek additional support if they had concerns about people's ability to make decisions for themselves.
People chose the food they wanted. Their eating and drinking preferences and needs were known by carers. People were also being supported to remain healthy. Staff and shared lives workers knew how to do this and information about people's health needs was available in their support plans. Where there was concern about people's health, staff and shared lives workers knew what to do and took the appropriate action.
People were supported by shared lives workers who showed kindness and compassion. Their dignity and privacy was being respected and their confidential and sensitive care records were being stored safely.
Shared lives workers and staff knew about people's preferences and what was important to them. People were being supported to be as independent as they wanted.
People or their representatives had been involved and had contributed to the planning and reviewing of their care and support. Where people needed support to be involved, information and access to advocacy services had been made available to them.
People had support plans that were focused on things that were important to them and known by shared lives workers. They received care and support based on this. People were undertaking hobbies and interests that they enjoyed.
People knew how to complain if they had needed to. The provider took action where necessary when they had received a complaint.
Shared lives workers and staff told us that the service was well-led. There were opportunities available to them to give ideas for improvement to the provider.
Shared lives workers and staff told us, and we saw, that they were supported and were clear about their roles and responsibilities. They received regular feedback on their work in order to improve the quality of the care and support offered to people.
There was a registered manager in place who understood the requirements of their role. They had worked with the provider to regularly assess the quality of the service. The registered manager had plans in place to improve the service.