8 July 2022
During a routine inspection
Shared Lives is a service provided by VIVO Care Choices Limited. VIVO Care Choices Limited is a not-for-profit company owned and regulated by Cheshire West and Chester Council.
VIVO Care Choices Limited is a shared lives scheme which provides people with long-term placements, short breaks and respite care, within shared lives carers (SLC) own homes.
The service provides long term family support, respite care and sessional support to people in Cheshire West. Not everyone who used Shared Lives received a regulated activity. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection there were 9 people using the service and receiving a regulated activity.
Shared Lives used to be referred to as 'adult placement schemes', which remains the legal term used to describe them. CQC does not regulate individual shared lives carers and 'placements'. We regulate at scheme level, through agency locations. Like any other person's own home, we have no powers to enter shared lives carers' homes. They are also the person receiving care's own home.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People using Vivo Care Choices Limited benefitted from a service that provided safe, high quality and compassionate care.
Policies and procedures were in place to help protect people from the risk of harm and abuse. Both staff and carers told us they had undergone training in safeguarding matters and knew what action to take to keep people safe.
Risks to people were identified, assessed and mitigated to help keep people safe. Environmental checks were undertaken to help ensure carers' homes and premises provided people with a home that was safe, comfortable and suitable for people’s needs.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The service was led by a manager who was well thought of by staff and carers and committed to delivering a service that was safe and provided high quality care and support. Care placements were subject to annual reviews including health and safety, finance and medication checks, to help ensure quality and compliance.
Quality assurance processes were in place to enable people using the service and their carers to make their views known.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection and update
This service was registered with us on 12 November 2019 and this is the first inspection.
The last rating for the service under the previous provider and at the previous office premises was good (published 31 January 2019).
Why we inspected
This is the first inspection under the provider's new legal entity and was carried out to provide the service with a rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.