Background to this inspection
Updated
23 July 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 17 June 2019 and ended on 18 June 2019. We visited the office location on 18 June 2019.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about the service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection,
During the inspection
We spoke with one person and four relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the provider, registered manager, care co-ordinator, care workers and administration staff.
We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and medication records. We looked at two staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and procedures were reviewed.
Updated
23 July 2019
About the service
Bluebird Care Birmingham North is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to five people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. Some people were living with dementia. The service delivers personal care to people in their own homes.
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 service had experienced a period of change since the last inspection with a significant number of staff and people choosing to leave the service. A new management team was now in place, including a new registered manager, and good progress was being made to address the concerns we highlighted at the last inspection.
Further improvements need to be made to ensure the service recruits and retains a more consistent staff team so that people can develop relationships with staff that know them well. Improvements are also required to ensure complaints are handled consistently and outcomes clearly communicated to all those involved.
New carers had been recruited to the team and had received a good induction and training programme. The provider was now following safe recruitment procedures and people were now receiving the right medication on a consistent basis.
Staff monitored people’s health needs closely and worked well with healthcare professionals to ensure people received the right support.
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.
Staff treated people with care and respect and understood how to promote people’s dignity and independence. People and their relatives felt that calls were no longer rushed and appreciated the way new staff were completing additional tasks which made people feel well cared for.
Care and support plans had been reviewed and were now a more accurate reflection of people’s wishes and preferences. This enabled staff to deliver more individualised care to people.
Improvements had been introduced to the systems for monitoring and checking the quality of the service. This meant that some concerns were being picked up more promptly and action taken. However, more time was needed to ensure these systems were fully embedded and improvements could be sustained. The provider had accepted responsibility for the findings of the last inspection and focussed on implementing a comprehensive plan to improve the service.
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)
The last rating for this service was inadequate (published 23 March 2019) and there were multiple breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection, we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.
This service has been in Special Measures since 23 March 2019. During this inspection the provider demonstrated that improvements have been made. The service is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is no longer in Special Measures.
Why we inspected
This inspection was carried out to follow up on action we told the provider to take at the last inspection. The inspection was also prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing levels and how the service was managed. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
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.