Bristol City Council Shared Lives service is registered to prove personal care and support to people living with shared lives carers. Shared lives carers are individuals and families who offer accommodation and provide personal care to people using the service. Most people lived with the shared lives carers on a permanent basis with them using another provider for respite care and support for 28 days per year.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates the provision of personal care provided to people using the service. At the time of our inspection 28 people with learning disabilities were using the service for long term placements, with 15 people using the service for shorter periods of respite care.

The inspection was announced. The provider was given 48 hours' notice because we wanted to make sure the registered manager and staff would be available to speak with us. When giving notice we also requested the registered manager make arrangements for us to meet with people using the service, shared lives carers and staff employed by the provider to recruit and monitor shared lives carers. These staff were called shared lives officers.

This was our first inspection of the service since the provider registered this location with CQC on 15 September 2015.

As a result of this inspection we have rated the service as Good.

There was a registered manager in post at the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider. 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.

Managers, shared lives officers and shared lives carers understood their role and responsibilities to keep people safe from harm. Risks were assessed and plans put in place to keep people safe. There was enough staff to safely monitor the shared lives arrangements. Checks were carried out on shared lives carers and shared lives officers before they commenced to assess their suitability to care for and support vulnerable people. Where people required assistance with taking medicines this was well managed and people received the support identified in their care plans.

Shared lives carers and shared lives officers received regular supervision and were provided with the training needed to meet people’s needs. The registered manager, deputy manager, shared lives carers and shared lives officers understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and, worked to ensure people's rights were respected.

People were cared for by shared lives carers who knew them well. The care and support they received was monitored by shared lives officers who also knew them well. People were treated with dignity and respect and their independence promoted. Managers, shared lives officers and shared lives carers had a good understanding of equality, diversity and human rights.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and they received individualised care and support. People were encouraged to make their views known and the service responded by making changes. The registered manager said they welcomed comments and complaints and saw them as an opportunity to improve the care and support provided.

The vision, values and culture of the service were clearly communicated to and understood by people, shared lives carers, shared lives officers and other health and social care professionals. Systems were in place and implemented to monitor the quality and safety of the service people received and, where shortfalls were identified they were acted upon.