The Care Quality Commission
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  • Homecare service

Archived: Shared Lives formerly (CAPS Supported Lodgings Scheme)

14th Floor NE, Taberner House, Croydon, Surrey, CR9 2BA (020) 8726 6000

Provided and run by:
London Borough of Croydon

All Inspections

18, 22 October 2013

During a routine inspection

During our inspection we spoke on the telephone with nine people who used the scheme and eleven out of the seventy-two carers who provided the shared lived placements. People told us their carers who they lived with were always caring and kind. Several people said their carer helped them do as much for themselves as they could. One person told us 'I like living with my carer'. She looks after me' and 'my carer' has a big heart and a nice house'. The majority of carers we spoke with told us they were very satisfied with the training and support they received from the scheme and their placement coordinator. One carer told us 'it's a good scheme. Never had any problems' and another carer said 'my coordinator is always on hand to offer me advice and support whenever i need it".

We also talked face-to-face with the schemes registered manager and two placement coordinators.

We found evidence that indicated people received safe and appropriate support from their carers and the schemes coordinators. It was also clear that people who used the service were treated with respect and were involved in discussions about the support they received.

We saw evidence that carers and coordinators were suitably trained and supported to meet the needs of the people who used the scheme. We also found the scheme had effective systems in place to routinely monitor and assess the quality of care and support people received, as well as respond appropriately to complaints people made.

14, 19 February 2013

During a routine inspection

As part of our inspection of CAPS we spoke with ten stakeholders by telephone. This included three people who use the scheme and seven carers. People told us the carers they lived with were always kind and treated them like a member of the family. One person said 'I like my carer because they look after me and treat me like family', and another told us 'I have lived here with my carer for ages, they are like my family'.

All the carers we spoke with told us they felt suitably trained and supported by the shared lives scheme manager and shared lives coordinators. Typical feedback we received from carers, included 'the scheme is excellent...I cannot fault them', "we get a lot of useful training from CAPS and I have always found the schemes coordinator and placement officers to be very supportive', and 'I think the scheme is particularly good at making sure people are placed with the right carer to live with in the first instance'.

We also found that the provider had effective systems in place to routinely assess and monitor the quality of the care people who use the service received.