Shared Lives Scheme (West Sussex County Council)

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

We assessed 3 quality statements within the safe key question. People, family members and external health and social care staff told us they felt the service was safe. Where things went wrong there were systems to identify, manage and learn from the incident. People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Shared lives carers and workers understood how to report concerns and to whom. People were involved with managing their care and support, including risks. Workers and shared lives carers were provided with clear guidance to support people safely.

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.

We did not look at Learning culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Safe systems, pathways and transitions during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

People were kept safe from avoidable harm because staff knew them well and understood how to protect them from abuse. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. People told us they felt safe and knew how to tell others who could help if they didn’t. Processes were in place to mitigate risk, these included regular meetings in neutral places such as day provision centers or coffee shops between people and the shared lives workers, who monitored shared lives arrangements. One shared lives worker, said when talking of safeguarding, “I might be better able to see the flags if I know a person and family well. Getting to know people is key to seeing changes in personality.” The registered managers understood their role in safeguarding people and were open and transparent when incidents occurred, reporting to the local authority safeguarding team and to CQC as required by legislation.

People were generally supported to take risks balancing their safety and their wishes. People's capacity had been considered when such choices had been made and their right to take informed risks was respected. Managers and shared lives workers shared a positive, person-centred approach to the management of risk. Managers ensured risks to people were regularly reviewed, and guidance to carers updated if needed. This was an area where managers were working with some shared lives carers and the people they support, with the aim for people to do more for themselves. One person told us they didn’t go out alone because they had difficulty crossing roads. The registered manager told us this was something the person and their shared lives carers were working on, and progress was recorded in the person’s plan. Risk assessments were detailed, person centred and provided clear guidance for both carers and workers. Processes were in place to record and audit incidents which led to the identification of trends, actions were put in place to mitigate the risks.

We did not look at Safe environments during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

People told us they were supported well by their shared lives carers, including the carers who supported them during the day and for short breaks. People also told us they felt confident the shared lives workers would listen to them and were trained to carry out their role. One person said, “My carers are always helping me.” Managers and shared lives workers described a clear induction and training process. The registered manager had oversight of both shared lives workers and shared lives carers training and compliance. Both carers and workers we spoke to were positive about the training and support they received. They knew where to find information and how to seek further guidance if needed. Recruitment processes were in place and robust. Checks were carried out as required and these included police and criminal records checks, right to work checks and references were obtained and verified. Training records showed shared lives workers and shared lives carers complete a wide range of core training, including Safeguarding, First Aid, Equality and Diversity, Health and Safety and Manual Handling. More specific training, tailored to the particular needs of people, was also provided. For example, training in epilepsy, learning disability and autistic spectrum conditions, communication support and equality.

We did not look at Infection prevention and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

We did not look at Medicines optimisation during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.