Royal Greenwich Shared Lives

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

People were safeguarded from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks about people’s safety were assessed to ensure they were supported to remain as safe as possible. There were enough skilled and experienced staff working for the service who received effective support, supervision and development. Appropriate recruitment and selection processes were in place.

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 told us they felt safe in the presence of their carers and spoke positively about them. A person told us, “Yes, [I feel safe] she [carer] knows me, she is good.” A relative told us, “Absolutely, beyond question [person is safe]. They are part of the family.”

The service understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and would report any concerns to the relevant agencies as required. Staff had completed safeguarding training and were aware of the different types of abuse and reporting procedures to follow if they had any concerns of abuse. There was an extensive support structure in place for staff to respond to concerns. A staff member told us, “I would contact my placement officer, there is an out of hours number I can call. I can also call the manager, social workers, Community Learning Disability Team [CLDT] and the safeguarding team. 100% they [RGSL] will act on any concerns.”

There was a system in place for recording and monitoring safeguarding concerns which provided management with a clear oversight to help report concerns of potential abuse to the relevant agencies, including CQC. There were safeguarding, whistleblowing and duty of candour policies to report concerns of potential abuse to the relevant agencies including the CQC. The registered manager and provider understood their responsibility under the duty of candour and took responsibility when things went wrong. Records showed safeguarding concerns were investigated which involved people, relatives and other healthcare professionals including the local safeguarding teams. To protect people’s safety and welfare, safeguarding protection plans were put in place detailing measures to mitigate further risk to people. Feedback from healthcare professionals was positive who told us they felt people were safe and well looked after by the service.

People and relatives told us staff were aware of their needs and provided them with the support they needed to keep them safe from harm. An advocate told us, “[Person] cannot be left alone. Shared Lives have gone a very long way to make it work. They are having to think about what’s next [to help keep the person safe].” The service adopted a balanced and proportionate approach to risk that supported people but respected their choices they made about their care and daily lives. People were involved and informed about any risks and how to keep themselves safe. For example, there were measures in place for a person whilst they were out in the community. These had been reviewed and adapted in accordance with the person’s needs and wishes which enabled them to continue doing the things that mattered to them whilst maintaining their safety.

Staff were aware of people’s individual needs and helped ensure people were safe. Risk assessments provided guidance on what action staff should take to reduce risks and maintain people’s safety. Staff were encouraged to report new risks so that appropriate action could be taken to ensure the safety of people. There was a system in place to report, record and monitor incidents and accidents. A staff member told us, “Keeping people safe and taking risks in a safe way. It weaves through everything we do. It is a lot of learning and putting strategies in place to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Risks to people’s safety were assessed to ensure they were supported to remain as safe as possible. Risk assessments in place were detailed and provided guidance on how people needed to be supported to be kept safe. Risk assessments were regularly reviewed to ensure they were still relevant and help ensure people were receiving continual safe care and support based on their needs. Some people had specific devices which were accessible to them and ensured they were able to call for assistance whenever they needed and/or in an emergency. For example, for a person with a hearing loss, they had an adapted fire alarm system that alerted them to evacuate the property by flashing lights should there be a fire. The service had an effective out-of-hours system in place for people and carers if any support was needed out of regular working hours. For example, this was demonstrated well when a person fell ill whilst on holiday outside of the UK and required treatment. The carer and the service worked extensively with the hospital abroad and other healthcare professionals in the UK to ensure the person was supported and received the necessary treatment and support required to maintain their safety as well as upholding the person’s legal equality and human rights. Healthcare professionals spoke positively about how the service worked collaboratively with them to ensure the support people required was promptly identified and provided to maintain people’s safety and wellbeing. A healthcare professional told us, “The shared lives officer and the allocated social worker work collaboratively together as part of the assessment process to ensure risks are considered and what support is required to meet needs and mitigate 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 were supported by staff that knew their needs well and provided care and support for them within their own family homes. This enabled people to enjoy stability and continuity with their care and support and enjoy positive relationships with the staff and their families. A person told us, “I have lived with [carer] a long time. She is really nice and we get on. In the evenings we watch tv together.” Another person told us, “[Carer] has done dementia awareness training, recognises changing dementia needs, and is learning with a positive approach.”

Staff told us they felt supported and spoke positively about working for the service. A staff member told us, “I have absolutely nothing but good to say about the service. They are amazing. I am grateful and thankful we have a team like this, they are 100%.” Staff told us they worked well as a team with their colleagues, sharing information with each other as necessary to ensure effective care was consistently provided. Staff told us they felt very supported by their placement officers who were there for them when needed. A carer told us, “I am in constant contact with my placement officer. I give them a call and that’s it, they are running around to get the support we need. Their support and monitoring really helps us.” Another carer told us, “Without fail, my placement officer will do the monitoring visits and they are very supportive. I can call my them anytime and there will always be someone that gets back to me.” Staff provided safe and effective care to people. Staff received an induction and regular training including learning disabilities to support them with roles. A staff member told us, “Yes I do get the training. We have access to an online portal. [Registered manager] is very proactive and open about this. She encourages us to do the training. I can do training in my own time and this is very accommodating for me.” Supervision and appraisals were in place to monitor performance and development. Staff participated in monthly staff meetings and received regular newsletters where they were able to share information and receive important updates about the service.

The service ensured staff had the knowledge and skills required to meet people’s needs. The provider followed safe recruitment practices and had ensured appropriate pre-employment checks were completed satisfactorily before staff were employed. The service had an extensive ‘matching’ process involving a series of monitoring visits and people were able to decide and choose the carers for themselves. A relative told us, “It was difficult when the previous carer stopped doing shared lives. [Person] was unsettled. They met 3 carers who were not suitable, but when they met [current carer] they hit it off straight away. The transition went extremely well…..[person] is over the moon.” Healthcare professionals spoke positively about the staff and the quality of support provided to people by the service. A healthcare professional told us, “Shared Lives carers are a real asset. Carers have a good understanding of the needs of people placed with them. They have good communication skills and know protocols, such as what to do in different situations. Carers regularly show their dedication and resilience in a range of challenging situations. People are placed with carers who genuinely care well and empower them.”

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.