St Anne's Shared Lives is based in Leeds and recruits carers who can offer a home to an adult with learning disabilities. St Anne's Shared Lives match carers to people needing support. They are responsible for the recruitment, approval, supervision and training of these carers. Shared Lives schemes offer an alternative to both residential and more traditional care at home services for people who need personal care and support with their day to day lives. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates the provision of personal care for people who use the service. At the time of our inspection there were 72 people who used the service and 106 shared lives carers providing their support.

At the last inspection in November 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Why the service is rated Good.

People told us they felt safe and well supported. They said they were treated well. Robust and safe recruitment procedures were followed to ensure only carers who were suitable to care and support people were recruited. The provider had procedures in place for safeguarding and these were followed to protect people from abuse. Carers were provided with guidance and training about how to support people to safely receive their prescribed medicines. Detailed guidance was in place to advise carers about how to manage identified risks whilst supporting people to make choices and maintain their freedom and independence, where possible.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and carers supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Processes to ensure carers acted in people's best interests in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) were in place and followed. Carers we spoke with had an understanding of the principles of the MCA..

Carers were provided with a range of support and training to enable them to fulfil their role. This included training courses, home visits, telephone support and regular group meetings with other carers. People were supported to maintain good health and nutrition. Carers were aware of people's dietary requirements and any support they needed with their food and drink. People's healthcare needs were identified and they received regular input from healthcare professionals to maintain good health.

People told us they were happy living with their carers, enjoyed the homely environment and spoke enthusiastically about activities they enjoyed with their carers. This included holidays; both in the UK and abroad, outings to local pubs, playing pool and dog walking. People were treated with dignity and respect and their independence was encouraged. Carers spoke with warmth and fondness about people who used the service. It was clear good relationships had been formed and people were valued as individuals. All interactions we observed between people showed kindness and a caring approach.

People’s support plans were comprehensive and identified people's needs, wishes and goals. Reviews took place to ensure people remained happy with their carers and to provide an opportunity to identify any changes in needs so these could be addressed. The registered manager had given written information to people who use the service, their relatives and the shared lives carers about how to make a complaint. The registered manager ensured they regularly met with people who used the service and carers in order to identify any possible concerns.

The registered manager and project workers were knowledgeable and experienced in the management and day to day running of the shared lives scheme. People who used the service, carers and relatives spoke highly of their co

This was an announced inspection carried out on 3 November 2015. At the last inspection in October 2013 we found the provider met the regulations we looked at.

St Anne's Shared Lives is based in Leeds and recruits carers who can offer a home to an adult with learning disabilities. Shared lives organisations match carers to people needing support. They are responsible for the recruitment, approval, supervision and training of these carers.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Project workers and carers understood safeguarding procedures and what to do to keep people safe. They showed good knowledge of safeguarding procedures.

People who used the service told us they felt safe and the carers treated them well. We saw that support plans and risk assessments were regularly reviewed by project workers, carers and the person who used the service.

We found that people were kept safe by trained carers and project workers who knew how to support people as individuals. People who used the service were matched with carers who they shared common interests with. If additional support was needed to meet people’s needs the provider ensured there were systems in place to enable this. The carers we spoke with felt they had the appropriate training and support to carry out their role.

We saw carers and project workers had been trained in the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and they had a good understanding of the principles of the Act. The registered manager, carers and project workers showed good knowledge of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and how this can affect people in shared lives services.

Staff were recruited robustly and shared lives carers went through a screening and then matching process to provide people who used the service with safe care. People were given time to get to know each other before they began living together.

People who used the service told us they were happy with the carers they lived with. They said their carers respected their privacy and treated them with respect and dignity. They told us they received all the help and support they needed to manage any health or dietary needs.

Relevant support plans and risk assessments were in place to support people who used the service and their carers. We saw the support plans were detailed and included information on how to meet people’s religious and cultural needs, the activities they took part in and how to manage any behaviour that could be challenging.

Medicines were managed well and training was provided for carers who were involved in the administration of medicines.

The registered manager audited the service through effective monitoring of visits, complaints, incidents, training and safeguarding. There were systems in place for people who used the service or carers to contact project workers or the registered manager if they needed to.

People who used the service and carers spoke highly of the support they received from project workers and the registered manager.

People’s views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care. One person told us, “I’m really busy all the time. I enjoy going to work.” Another person said, “I get out a lot. I have lots of independence to do what I like. I go to college.”

People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. One person said, “My family do all they can for me. They look after me really well.” Another person said, “I live in the best place ever.”

People were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. People spoke highly of the staff who supported them. Comments people made included, “The staff are Gold Star” and “They do an excellent, ace job."

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.

Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. People’s views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided in relation to their care. One person said, “I can say how I want to be cared for.”

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. The care plans we looked at were detailed and related to all aspects of each person's care and welfare needs. We spoke with three people. They all told us they were happy with the care and treatment they received. One person told us, “Everyone is really nice, good and helpful.” One person said, “I am happy how I live.” Another person told us, “I am happy living here.”

Medicines were prescribed and given to people appropriately. People we spoke with said that they received their medication on time and when they needed it.

People were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff began work.

There was an effective complaints system in place. Complaints people made were responded to appropriately. People told us if they had any concerns or complaints they would discuss them with members

We spoke with five people who are provided with care and support from the service. They all described positive experiences of the service and said they were happy with their carers.The people we spoke with appeared happy and well looked after.

People said that they met their key worker on a regular basis and were able to talk in private. We saw evidence of these visits documented within their care plan.

People said they had a good relationship with their carer. One person said, “If you’ve got a problem you can talk to them”.

People said they had a positive experience in selecting their carer and they met them several times prior to choosing to live with them.

One carer we spoke with said the service had a truly person centred approach; “they are good at being able to assess people and listen to their needs”.

One carer provided an example where they need to get additional support for the person using the service and said it was arranged very quickly and that the process worked “really really well”.

People spoke highly of the project manager. One carer also told us that they were made to feel very welcome and said that the project manger was very helpful.

Staff employed by the organisation told us that they were happy with the support from the service manager and colleagues.