Archived: Shared Lives Scheme - Independent Options (Northwest)

Updated 31 July 2019

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type

Shared Lives Scheme – Independent Options (Northwest) is a shared lives scheme, they recruit, train and support self-employed shared lives carers (SLC) who offer accommodation and support arrangements for vulnerable adults within their own family homes in the community.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave a short period notice of the inspection because some of the people using it could not consent to a home visit from an inspector. This meant that we had to arrange for a ‘best interests’ decision about this.

Inspection activity started on 11 June and finished on 4 July 2019. We visited the office location on 11 June 2019.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information received about the service since the last inspection. This included information from the general public, other organisations and notifications from the provider about incidents happening in the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with three people using the service, six shared lives carers, and five members of staff including shared lives managers, the registered manager, the human resources director and the chief executive.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people’s support plans and a variety of records relating to recruitment and management of the service, including policies and procedures.

Updated 31 July 2019

About the service

Shared Lives Scheme – Independent Options (Northwest) is a shared lives scheme providing accommodation and support for people who need support with everyday living. The service provides both short and long-term placements within shared lives carers’ homes. At the time of our inspection approximately 50 people were being supported.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were kept safe through assessments of their needs and risks they might be exposed to. Background checks were done on people before they were accepted as shared lives carers. Processes were in place to ensure people received their medicines as they had been prescribed.

The service worked well with other support providers to get to know people before they moved into the shared lives scheme. They also shared information to other organisations when people left the scheme to make the move as smooth as possible. People were encouraged to make the decisions they could about their lives and the support they received.

People were treated with compassion and kindness. People told us they were happy in their placements and felt part of the families they lived with. We saw how shared lives carers had built people’s confidence over time enabling them to become more independent.

People were respected as individuals and both office staff and shared lives carers understood the importance of this. People’s support records reflected their choices, including those arising from their culture or background. Information was available in a variety of formats so it was accessible and understandable to people.

The registered manager and the staff team understood the importance of monitoring the quality of the service. A variety of methods were used to involve people and their carers in developing the service. The staff team worked to raise the profile of shared lives as an alternative way of supporting some people.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published 16 December 2016).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.