This inspection took place on 26 April, and 2 and 3 May 2017 and was announced.

Telford and Wrekin Shared Lives Scheme provides personal care for people as part of a shared lives and domiciliary care scheme. A shared lives scheme supports a variety of different arrangements where families and individuals in local communities can offer accommodation and/or support for people.

At this inspection, they were providing care and support for 104 people.

A registered manager was in post and present during our inspection. 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 were safe as staff had been trained and understood how to support people in a way that protected them from danger, harm and abuse. Staff had access to care plans and risk assessments and were aware of how to protect people from the risk of harm.

People were supported by enough staff members to meet their individual needs and preferences. The provider completed appropriate checks on staff before they started work to ensure they were safe to work with people.

People were supported with their medicines by staff who were trained to safely support them and who made sure they had their medicine when they needed it. The provider completed checks to ensure staff followed safe practice when assisting people with their medicines.

People received care from staff who had the skills and knowledge to assist them. Staff attended training that was relevant to the people they supported and adapted to meet their specific needs.

Staff provided care and support which was personalised and respected people’s likes and dislikes. People took part in activities they liked and found stimulating. People felt involved in the development of the shared lives scheme and were kept up to date with changes and developments. People’s independence was encouraged and staff respected their privacy and dignity.

People were supported by staff who knew them well and had good relationships with them. Staff made sure people were involved in their own care and information was given to them in a way they could understand. People were involved in decisions about their day-to-day care. When people could not make decisions for themselves, staff understood the steps they needed to follow to ensure people’s rights were upheld.

People were involved in the preparation of meals and had a choice of food to eat which included healthy eating options. People had access to healthcare when needed and staff responded to any changes in their needs promptly.

Staff were supported by the provider and the registered manager who promoted an open and transparent culture.

People and staff felt able to express their views to the provider and felt their opinions mattered. The provider and registered manager undertook regular quality checks in order to drive improvements. The provider engaged people and their families and encouraged feedback. People felt confident they were listened to and their views were valued.