We carried out a review of the data available to us about Bluebird Care Mendip on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Bluebird Care Mendip, you can give feedback on this service.
Bluebird Care (Mendip) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support for people living in their own homes in the Mendip area of Somerset. At the time of the inspection they were providing personal care for 65 people. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The provider for Bluebird Care (Mendip) refers to their care staff as ‘care professionals’, this is because the provider respects their level of expertise and the training they have undertaken. However, for the benefit of this report we will refer to care professionals as care staff.
People were supported by a service that was extremely well led and a management team that was passionate about providing high-quality person-centred care for people living in the community. There was an emphasis on including and empowering people to maintain control over their lives and to lead decisions about their care package. Care plans were outcome focused and looked at what people wanted to achieve.
Bluebird Care (Mendip) went over and above what was expected of a community care provider. They had looked at ways of reducing social isolation for people without it having a financial impact on them. For example, they had arranged trips out, parties, musical entertainment and a book club. Staff had taken part in fundraising events in their own time, to ensure the activities provided were fully funded. This had had a positive impact on some people’s lives. Where possible the service ensured people and care staff were matched to support people in continuing with personal interests and hobbies.
The management team worked closely with other organisations to improve the experience of people receiving care and support in their own homes. This had led to the service providing a health and wellbeing check on behalf of medical professionals and a toe nail cutting service following feedback from people.
People told us they felt safe and looked forward to the visits they had from care staff. One person said, “I look forward to them [care staff] coming they are like my family.”
People received effective care and support from staff who were exceptionally well trained. The provider and registered manager promoted social care as a career and supported staff to progress in care to become social workers or qualitied nurses.
Staff morale was very high, and this was reflected in the high standard of care provided. Staff were listened to and their opinions were valued. People said that all the staff they met were, “Professional,” “Caring” and “Well trained.”
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.
There were quality assurance systems which monitored standards and ensured any shortfalls were
addressed. People and care staff felt listened to and said they could speak with a member of the management team at any time. Any complaints made were fully investigated and treated as learning to enable the service to improve.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 23 December 2016)
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
This is the first inspection of the service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission in July 2014.
Bluebird Care (Mendip) is registered for the regulated activity ‘personal care.’ At the time of the inspection it was providing personal care to 80 people living in their own homes. Packages of care varied from daily visits to live in care. In order to recognise the complex work that staff carried out, Bluebird Care (Mendip) call their staff ‘care professionals’ therefore this is the term that will be used in the report to refer to staff providing care to people.
There is 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The management team were committed to providing a high quality effective service to people. They did this by supporting staff well, listening to people’s views and looking at ways to continually improve. One person said “It’s a very professional organisation starting from the top all the way down.”
The registered manager and provider aimed to provide a service which met people’s emotional needs as well as supporting people with physical tasks. The service was taking part in a campaign to alleviate loneliness in older people living in Britain. People told us they appreciated the visits from staff who were always cheerful. One person said “I look forward to them coming in. It doesn’t seem to matter what may be happening in their lives they always make you feel good.”
Care professionals were well motivated and committed to providing a service that was very personalised to each individual. People were fully involved in planning their care and support and care plans were comprehensive to make sure staff had all the information required to support the person. This helped to make sure people got the supported they wanted.
There were quality assurance systems which monitored standards and ensured any shortfalls were addressed. People and care professionals felt listened to and said they could speak with a member of the management team at any time. Any complaints made were fully investigated and treated as learning to enable the service to improve.
People received effective, safe care which met their individual needs and preferences. People told us the service was flexible and made adjustments to accommodate their wishes and changing needs. Where any concerns were raised about a person’s health or well-being prompt action was taken to make sure they received the support and treatment needed.
People were very complimentary about the care professionals who supported them. People told us staff were kind, caring and respected their privacy and dignity. There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to ensure people received their care and support at times of their choosing.
Each person had a small team of care professionals who they were able to build trusting relationships with. The registered manager tried to match care professionals to people using the service to promote good relationships. One person said “I have really taken to the girls who come to me. We are well matched and so I am very satisfied with everything about the service.”
Care professionals were well trained and competent in their roles. Staff undertook training in health and safety subjects and received the training and information they needed to meet people’s specific needs. People told us they felt safe and comfortable with the care professionals who supported them. One person said “I always feel safe because the staff know what they are doing.”
People described the service as very reliable, telling us that care professionals arrived on time and stayed for the allocated amount of time. One person commented “I get a schedule every week. They come when they say they will. Totally reliable. I think they would arrive, come hell or high water.”