Royal Greenwich Shared Lives

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

People were supported by staff who knew their personal and individual needs well. People’s needs were assessed which ensured people received individualised support that matched their personal preferences. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service upheld this practice.

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.

People’s individual needs were regularly assessed and met. The service promptly responded to any changes in people’s care and circumstances and ensured appropriate support was in place for them when needed. A relative told us, “If anything happens with GP appointments I get an email.”

Staff knew people well and helped to ensure people received care and support that met their needs, health and wellbeing. An initial assessment was completed prior to providing care and support to people with the involvement of the person, relatives and other health care professionals. This captured people’s needs, abilities and their preferences and were used to develop people's care plans which helped people make informed choices about their care. Care reviews and regular monitoring visits were conducted by the placement officers to ensure that people and their carers continued to receive the appropriate support. A staff member told us, “We have a monitoring visit with the placement officer every 6-8 weeks. People’s needs are regularly assessed during monitoring visits. They check everything from finances, the care and the person’s well being. They visit and make sure everything is okay. We can discuss anything about what is needed for the person and any support I may need too.”

Assessments considered aspects of people’s care and support such as people's healthcare background, mobility, personal care and safety requirements. This helped ensure people’s individual needs and wishes were respected and met. People’s needs were regularly assessed which enabled the service to monitor people’s progress and ensure they received the appropriate support when required. A healthcare professional told us, “Annual care and support plan reviews of people are carried out. When there are identified changes in needs, these are reassessed and followed by a co-produced amended care and support plan. For example, one person began to experience psychotic symptoms. They were referred to the health team and allocated to a psychiatrist who worked with person, the GP, carer and the shared lives placement officer, ensuring the person had community-based support obviating the need for hospital admission.”

We did not look at Delivering evidence-based care and treatment during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at How staff, teams and services work together during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at Supporting people to live healthier lives during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

We did not look at Monitoring and improving outcomes during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

People were supported to have maximum control over their lives. They were directly involved in making decisions about their care and support wherever possible. A person told us, “Yes I am [happy with the service]. They listen to my needs and help me.”

The service promoted and understood people's rights to make their own decisions and sought their consent. The service demonstrated a good understanding of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). A staff member told us, “I always encourage people to make their own choices and decisions for example with shopping, what they want to wear and eat. I would find a way to explain to them in a way they can understand so it is their choice. We do nothing without their permission, you can’t just assume anything about a person.”

The service was working within the principles of the MCA. There were policies and procedures in place to support this and staff had received MCA training. People’s mental capacity was monitored to ensure they received appropriate support. If a person lacked capacity to make specific decisions and/or it was recognised a person’s liberties were being deprived, the service would ensure the best interests decision making process was followed which would include involving relatives, healthcare professionals and a power of attorney if required to ensure decisions were made in the person’s best interests. An advocate told us, “Shared lives agreed a financial settlement and have stuck to it. They are adapting remarkably well. I give them 5 gold stars.”