We carried out a review of the data available to us about Bluebird Care Lancaster and South Lakeland 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 Lancaster and South Lakeland, you can give feedback on this service.
Bluebird Care (Lancaster and South Lakeland) is a domiciliary care service providing personal care, home help and companionship to people with a variety of needs. At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting 63 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
People told us the service was safe. Staff understood how to keep people safe and who to report any concerns to. The service managed risks appropriately. Where something went wrong, the provider used this as a learning opportunity to make improvements and reduce the risk of similar incidents happening again.
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. People received effective support from staff who received a thorough induction and training to prepare them for their roles. The service worked with other agencies and supported people to maintain good health and access healthcare services.
People were very positive about the caring approach of staff. Staff recognised, respected and valued people as individuals. People received support from a consistent staff team which enabled them to get to know each other well and build good caring relationships.
People received care and support that was personalised to them. Staff used detailed assessments to identify people’s needs and preferences and worked to ensure people were happy with their care.. If people were not happy, they were confident they could speak with staff to make improvements. The service made sure people were supported to communicate and staff supported people to avoid social isolation.
The service was led by a manager and senior staff who people and staff described as approachable and caring. The culture at the service was open and inclusive. Senior staff understood their responsibilities and monitored the quality of the service using a range of systems. Where areas for improvement were identified, the manager took action to make improvements.
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 19 May 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
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.
At the time of the inspection Bluebird Care (Lancaster and South Lakeland) supported 28 people with care and support needs. An out of hours contact number is provided for use in the event of an emergency.
At the time of inspection there was no manager who was registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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 registered provider told us they had recently appointed a new manager who was in the process of becoming registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
There were systems to ensure people who used the service were protected from the risk of harm and abuse. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable of the action to take if they had concerns in this area. They told us the registered provider encouraged concerns to be raised.
There were procedures to ensure medicines were managed safely. The manager carried out checks of medicines to ensure any errors were identified. Staff received training in the administration of medicines and observations of staff competencies were being planned. We have made a recommendation regarding this.
People were invited to give feedback on the service provided. A quality survey was provided to people to enable them to voice their views. This was analysed and areas of improvement were addressed. Checks on care records and accidents were carried out but were not formally documented. We have made a recommendation regarding this.
Staff were knowledgeable of peoples’ assessed needs and delivered care in accordance with these. Staff spoke respectfully of people they supported. People who received care and support and their relatives told us they were happy with the care provision from Bluebird Care (Lancaster and South Lakeland).
Sufficient recruitment checks were carried out prior to a staff member starting to work with the agency and staff received training to enable them to give care which met peoples’ needs. Staffing was arranged to ensure people received care and support at the time they wanted.
People’s nutritional needs were considered as part of the assessment process and preferences were reflected within care documentation. Care records reflected the care and support people required and people told us they were involved in the development of their care plans.
Care records contained assessments of risk and information on how risks could be managed. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable of the action to take to minimise risk.
There was a complaints policy which was understood by staff and was available to people who used the service. Staff were aware of the reporting procedures to ensure complaints were addressed.