We inspected North Somerset Shared Lives on 12 and 13 January 2017. As this was a 'shared lives' scheme, we contacted the registered manager 48 hours before the inspection. This was so that they could arrange visits for us to meet the people in their placement homes. At the time of our inspection, 42 people were being supported by the shared lives scheme, in long term, short term or day care placements. The scheme can also support people with emergency respite placements.

'Shared lives' describes the arrangement whereby people either live with or are given daily care by self-employed care providers who support them according to their assessed needs. The homes care providers shared with people were located across North Somerset.

The North Somerset Shared Lives office team consisted of the registered manager, deputy manager and three Shared Lives staff. They supported the Shared Lives carers, assessed prospective care providers and matched people to care providers who had a vacancy in their home. The service had a registered manager.

A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe in their placement homes. The Shared Lives carers and Shared Lives staff could describe the forms of abuse people using the service might be vulnerable to and said they would report any concerns appropriately.The recruitment process for new shared lives carers and staff was effective; all the required checks had been made.

Risk assessments in other people's homes and at the office were appropriate and people were supported by care providers to take positive risks if the benefit of the activity outweighed any potential risk identified. Peoples’ medicines were managed properly by the Shared Lives carers. The homes where people were placed were assessed for continual suitability at regular intervals.

The service complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005; Shared lives carers and shared lives staff had a good working knowledge of the principals and how they applied to the people using the service. People were given choices and supported to make their own decisions.

Shared lives staff and Shared Lives carers received the training they needed to support people safely. They also received regular supervision and an annual appraisal, all of which was documented properly. Shared Lives Carers said they felt supported by the Shared Lives staff.

People told us they enjoyed the meals they had in their placement homes. People and their relatives said that people were supported to access a range of healthcare professionals and Shared Lives carers showed us how they arranged and documented this for the people. People told us that the Shared Lives carers were caring. Shared Lives carers described people as members of their families and the interactions we observed were warm and friendly.

Shared Lives carers gave us examples of how they promoted the independence of the people they supported. We saw that Shared Lives staff made referrals to advocacy services if people needed independent help or support to make decisions.

People's support plans were individualised and person-centred and produced in a format that made them accessible to the people they related to.

We saw that people who could sign their plans had done so. People had access to a range of activities, voluntary placements and employment opportunities. All of the people we spoke with said they had lots to do and their relatives agreed.

People regularly went on holidays with the Shared Lives carers and their families. No one we spoke with had ever made a complaint but all of the people and relatives we spoke with said they knew who to complain to and would do so if th