Archived: Vivo Care Choices Ltd

Updated 29 July 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

Vivo Care Choices Limited 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.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We attended the office and spoke with the registered manager. We looked at records in relation to people who used the service including two care plans and systems for monitoring the safety and quality of the service provided.

After the inspection we continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at governance and training records. We spoke with three carers who provided full-time live-in care for people who used the service.

Updated 29 July 2022

About the service

Shared Lives is a service provided by VIVO Care Choices Limited. VIVO Care Choices Limited is a not-for-profit company owned and regulated by Cheshire West and Chester Council.

VIVO Care Choices Limited is a shared lives scheme which provides people with long-term placements, short breaks and respite care, within shared lives carers (SLC) own homes.

The service provides long term family support, respite care and sessional support to people in Cheshire West. Not everyone who used Shared Lives received a regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection there were 9 people using the service and receiving a regulated activity.

Shared Lives used to be referred to as 'adult placement schemes', which remains the legal term used to describe them. CQC does not regulate individual shared lives carers and 'placements'. We regulate at scheme level, through agency locations. Like any other person's own home, we have no powers to enter shared lives carers' homes. They are also the person receiving care's own home.

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

People using Vivo Care Choices Limited benefitted from a service that provided safe, high quality and compassionate care.

Policies and procedures were in place to help protect people from the risk of harm and abuse. Both staff and carers told us they had undergone training in safeguarding matters and knew what action to take to keep people safe.

Risks to people were identified, assessed and mitigated to help keep people safe. Environmental checks were undertaken to help ensure carers' homes and premises provided people with a home that was safe, comfortable and suitable for people’s needs.

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.

The service was led by a manager who was well thought of by staff and carers and committed to delivering a service that was safe and provided high quality care and support. Care placements were subject to annual reviews including health and safety, finance and medication checks, to help ensure quality and compliance.

Quality assurance processes were in place to enable people using the service and their carers to make their views known.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

This service was registered with us on 12 November 2019 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider and at the previous office premises was good (published 31 January 2019).

Why we inspected

This is the first inspection under the provider's new legal entity and was carried out to provide the service with a rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.