Shared Lives Bedford

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 shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

Staff felt that they had a shared direction and culture. One staff member told us, “I feel we work really well together; we sit in the same office, we have a team meeting every Wednesday and regular supervisions, we are encouraging and moving in the right direction.” They said when they joined the service, they were able to provide suggestions and contribute to the development of the service including amending documentation and planning meetings.

Staff have attended webinars about developing the service and there are online events for carers to attend. For example, mindfulness workshops to support mental wellbeing.

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. For example, one staff member told us “[Registered manager] has always got time for me and is always open to discussion and change.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

We saw evidence annual shared lives carer and service user surveys were completed which included lots of positive feedback. The registered manager had analysed the feedback and shared actions taken to address any areas for improvement. For example, for shared lives carers who had struggled to access online training, they were given the opportunity to come to the office or meet with staff for support.

People told us they had access to a complaints policy and felt any complaints would be taken seriously, “I’d always contact [staff member] beforehand if it was that bad. [Staff member] would absolutely take it seriously.”

One shared lives carers told us that “[Staff member] is very good, their communication is very good.”

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.

The provider has resources for shared lives carers and staff and a staff forum to seek support from colleagues and see how other services have dealt with situations and if they can learn from them.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

New shared lives carers were provided with lots of clear guidance on what the role entailed. We asked shared lives carers if they felt clear about their responsibilities when they started. One shared lives carer told us that they were provided with all the necessary information. Another said they were not prepared for some aspects of the role, but they had the support and training they needed.

Business continuity planning was in place to ensure shared lives carers and people were supported in an emergency. Relevant guidance, policies and audits were in place, up to date and accessible.

However, medicines management required improvement, some consent documents were unavailable at the office and there was a lack of records of times when staff had responded to minor issues from shared lives carers. The provider was responsive to our feedback.

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 supported people to transition from child to adult services and worked with colleagues to ensure people had their shared lives support in place, so people did not experience disjointed care or any delays in having the support they needed.

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.

One person told us that they felt the service was, “really good, overall, really pleased with the quality.” But they would like to be part of the interview system to have input into choosing the right shared lives candidates. Staff were looking into involving people in recruitment in future.

The service was in discussion about ways to expand, develop and increase people’s awareness of shared lives. They had contacts in other shared lives services to share knowledge and experience.

The service had been mentioned in the recent provider newsletter for its Halloween coffee morning.

The provider’s annual summary recorded positive outcomes for people for the previous year and discussed the challenges faced.