Kirklees Shared Lives

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.
 

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.

The provider had a clear vision, strategy and culture that was consistently understood and demonstrated across the service.
Staff and carers spoke passionately about the Shared Lives model and its role in helping people develop meaningful relationships, achieve their goals and experience a genuine sense of belonging. The registered manager told us, "I feel passionate about the model."
There was a strong and consistent culture of compassion, inclusion and ambition for people. Staff and carers described the service as supportive, person-centred and focused on helping people achieve the best possible outcomes. This culture was reflected in the experiences of people using the service and the commitment shown by carers to supporting people to live fulfilling lives.
We saw evidence of this culture throughout the assessment. Staff and carers consistently described Shared Lives as being about creating opportunities, promoting independence and helping people lead meaningful lives. People were supported as valued members of families and communities rather than recipients of a service. Carers demonstrated a strong commitment to understanding what mattered to people and supporting them to achieve outcomes that reflected their individual aspirations.
Feedback from people, carers and professionals consistently reflected a shared commitment to improving lives and creating opportunities for people to thrive. As a result, people experienced support that promoted belonging, independence and inclusion, enabling them to develop meaningful relationships and achieve outcomes that were important to them.
 

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.
Leaders were described as approachable, supportive and effective. Staff and carers spoke positively about the registered manager and the impact they had made within the service. One member of staff told us the registered manager had "made a massive difference" to people's lives, as well as to the experiences of carers and staff. Another said the registered manager was "doing an amazing job."
Staff valued the registered manager's experience, knowledge and inclusive leadership style. One member of staff told us, "[Registered Manager] has come from the shop floor up. She is robust, when she looks at something she can see clearly what needs doing." Staff told us they felt involved in service development and decision-making. One person said, "She runs things past us and asks for our feedback... She wants to make sure it's right."
Feedback demonstrated leaders were visible, knowledgeable and fostered a culture where staff and carers felt listened to, supported and valued. Staff spoke positively about the guidance and support they received and told us leaders were available when advice was needed.
Professionals also spoke positively about the leadership of the service, describing managers as supportive, hardworking and approachable. They told us the team had a positive reputation across the local authority and were responsive to requests for information, making themselves available to discuss concerns and work collaboratively when required.
 

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.
Staff and Shared Lives carers told us they knew how to raise concerns and felt confident to do so. Processes were in place to support the reporting of concerns, and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to speaking up. Feedback demonstrated people felt comfortable raising issues and were confident appropriate action would be taken in response. This helped to promote an open and transparent culture where concerns could be shared and addressed promptly.
 

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.
Staff and Shared Lives carers told us they were treated fairly, respected and valued within their roles. Feedback did not identify any concerns relating to discrimination, inequality or unfair treatment. Carers and staff described an inclusive culture where people were supported to contribute their views and experiences.
Recruitment processes were fair and consistent, with candidates assessed against clear criteria to ensure opportunities were accessible and based on skills, values and suitability for the role. Feedback and workforce information demonstrated the provider promoted equality, inclusion and fairness within its workforce.
 

The provider had governance systems in place; however, these were not always effective in identifying and addressing concerns relating to medicines management.
Some audits and monitoring processes had not identified several issues found during the assessment, including medicines being administered contrary to prescribing instructions, inaccuracies within medicines records and gaps in supporting documentation. Governance arrangements relating to medicines also required strengthening. Whilst carers had completed medicines training, the provider could not always demonstrate those administering specialist medicines had been assessed as competent, and records relating to competency assessments and specialist training were not consistently maintained. As a result, the provider could not demonstrate effective oversight of medicines management, and opportunities to identify and address concerns at an earlier stage had been missed.

These concerns were specific to medicines management. Other quality assurance and monitoring processes were in place across the service, including regular monitoring visits, reviews of support arrangements and oversight of safeguarding and environmental safety. These systems provided assurance in a number of areas of service delivery.
Following the assessment, the provider responded promptly to the issues identified. They developed a comprehensive action plan to address the concerns, reviewed medicines systems and processes, and implemented additional measures to strengthen oversight, record keeping and assurance arrangements and had plans to ensure these were embedded within systems and processes. This demonstrated a willingness to learn and improve.
 

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.
The service worked effectively in partnership with external professionals to help achieve positive outcomes for people. Professionals told us the service worked collaboratively with social work teams, particularly when supporting complex situations or urgent requests for support. They described the team as approachable, responsive and willing to explore solutions to achieve positive outcomes for people.
We saw examples of this collaborative approach leading to meaningful improvements in people's lives. For example, staff worked closely with a social worker and other professionals to support a person who was vulnerable due to self-neglect and social isolation. Through coordinated planning and partnership working, a Shared Lives arrangement was identified and implemented. As a result, the person experienced improvements in their health, wellbeing and quality of life, developed meaningful relationships and accessed new opportunities, including going on holiday for the first time.
Staff also described positive working relationships with learning disability and transition teams, social workers and day services, which supported coordinated and person-centred care. Partners told us the service communicated well, shared information appropriately and worked constructively to support people through changes in their circumstances.
The service maintained strong links within local communities. Staff worked with day services and other community-based organisations to help people access meaningful activities, develop relationships and remain connected to their communities. These partnerships promoted inclusion, independence and positive outcomes for people using the service.
 

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.
Leaders demonstrated a reflective approach and had a clear understanding of the service's strengths and areas requiring further development. For example, leaders had identified opportunities to strengthen auditing and quality assurance processes and had put plans in place to improve oversight arrangements.
Learning was used to drive service improvement. The registered manager had introduced revised assessment and approval processes, updated care documentation, developed a carers' handbook and strengthened guidance for staff and carers. Additional resources, including a carer availability brochure and approval workbook, had also been introduced to support effective matching and promote consistency in practice.
Feedback, sector developments and partnership working were used to inform ongoing improvements. The provider maintained links with Shared Lives Plus, attended regional meetings and provider forums, and worked collaboratively with other teams to share learning and develop practice.
The team actively sought advice and reassurance from partner agencies when responding to complex situations. Professionals told us staff were proactive in developing potential solutions and worked collaboratively with others to review and refine their approach.
This demonstrated a culture that valued learning, reflection and continuous improvement, with leaders using feedback and shared learning to support carers, strengthen practice and improve outcomes for people.