Hillingdon Shared Lives

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence.

The last rating for this key question was good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff worked with social workers, other professionals and shared lives carers to assess people’s needs and plan their care. People’s relatives told us they were consulted. Care plans were personalised. These were regularly reviewed and updated. People were involved in making decisions about their care.

Shared lives carers told us they had enough information about people when they first started using the service. An external professional commented, “I find that they put the service users and their carers at the heart of everything they do. This has been very evident when I have seen them assessing service users and when introduction meetings take place between service users and carers.Their approach is person centred and the staff are always empathetic and caring when working with service users.”

The provider ensured people received evidence-based care. Staff and shared lives carers undertook a wide range of training, including training about people with a learning disability. They told us this training was useful and helped them in their roles. Their comments included, “All my training is up to date. If it wasn’t, they [scheme managers] would not leave it” and “I have plenty of training and [managers] are on the ball with it.”

People’s relatives told us they thought carers were well trained and did a good job. Their comments included, “[Carer] has the skills and experience. They are also a qualified nurse”, “The shared lives carer knows what [they are] doing” and “I know they are well trained. I know from the way they communicate. Their knowledge is good.”

Staff and shared lives carers worked well together. Shared lives carers told us there was very good communication and they could always speak with staff if they needed. They explained they had meetings with other carers and systems to communicate with each other for support. Staff told us they worked well as a team. Comments from shared lives carers included, “Staff are very much hands on, and we do not feel isolated” and “Office staff come over all the time we have good communication with them.”

External professionals told us communication was good. One professional explained, “[Registered manager] and their team have been outstanding. They are always prompt, efficient, and above all, person-centred in their approach. Their commitment to the well-being of those they support is evident in every interaction.”

Shared lives carers supported people to stay healthy and have their healthcare needs met. Some people independently accessed healthcare services. However, most people were supported by their shared lives carers. Carers liaised directly with healthcare professionals and made sure people attended appointments when needed. Staff monitored information about people’s health and worked alongside the carers and people to follow up any concerns.

Staff described some instances where shared lives carers had given exceptionally good care to people when they became unwell and had to be admitted to hospital. The carers acted as advocates and provided support to help people understand what was happening.

People were supported to make healthy lifestyle choices, eat well and exercise. Relatives, staff and professionals told us there had been improvements in some people’s weight and health since moving to their shared lives homes. One professional explained, “[Shared lives carers] had a wealth of knowledge and skills working with people who have poor mental health. As a result of this placement and the support my client received from shared lives carer and staff, my client successfully developed [their] independent living skills through buying and preparing [their] own meals, taking medication on time, and managing [their] well-being.”

The provider had systems to monitor people’s wellbeing and outcomes. Staff visited people and shared lives carers every 2 to 3 months and carried out reviews of the placement and their needs. They also stayed in regular contact with the shared lives carers to discuss any changes.

People’s needs were reassessed at least annually by a team of professionals.

Shared lives carers monitored people’s needs and wellbeing. They worked with people to plan personal goals and work towards these. A relative told us, “They monitor [person’s] needs and see how [they] are. The carers know [person’s] likes and dislikes. They pick up if anything is wrong.”

The provider ensured people consented to their care whenever possible. Shared lives carers and staff involved people in making choices and presented information in a clear and personalised way. People were asked to consent to their care and the support they received. Some people lacked the mental capacity to make certain decisions. Staff, external professionals, relatives and shared lives carers made decisions in people’s best interests when needed.