Bluebird Care (Chorley, Ormskirk and Leyland)

Updated 5 January 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an Expert by Experience who made telephone calls to people. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we wanted to be sure there would be management staff available to speak with us.

Inspection activity started on 8 December 2022 and ended on 12 December 2022. We visited the location’s office on 8 December 2022.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registering with us. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people who used the service and 6 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 6 members of staff including the registered manager, care supervisor and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider. We reviewed a range of records. This included 5 people’s care records and medication records. We looked at 6 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 5 January 2023

About the service

Bluebird Care (Chorley, Ormskirk and Leyland) provides home care services enabling people to be cared for while living in their own homes. The service is managed from the registered office in Tarleton near Preston. At the time of this inspection 22 people were receiving regulated personal care and support from the service. 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

Risks relating to people's needs had been identified and records provided a detailed plan for managing those risks. Medicines were being administered and managed safely. We noted the timing of administration for some time specific medicines were not in line with the prescribers instructions. The manager took iimmediate action to address this.

Systems were in place to record accidents and incidents. However, these were not consistently monitored to identify any potential lessons to be learned, themes or trends. The manager implemented a more robust recording process during the inspection.

There were enough staff on the rota to support the number of people using the service. We received positive feedback from people about the consistency of their visit times. Information in the staff recruitment files was not always completed in full and some needed to include more details to ensure the process was robust. The manager completed a full audit of the recruitment files and acted during the inspection to ensure they were completed in full.

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. Consent to care and treatment had been obtained and where people lacked capacity relevant others had been involved in supporting people's decision making.

Training records seen demonstrated appropriate and relevant training was provided. Referrals were made to other healthcare services when necessary. People told us they thought the care they received was very good and spoke positively about the staff who supported them.

People told us the staff treated them with respect and dignity and were kind and caring towards them. Care plans demonstrated a person-centred approach. Concerns and complaints were promptly responded to. End of life care where relevant was done co-working with the community nurses.

Quality monitoring and auditing systems were not all fully established. There was some regular oversight of the safety and quality of the service was this not always being formally recorded. There was no recorded analysis or reviews completed in a format to see where improvements to the service could be made. We have made a recommendation the provider develops and establishes the systems and processes to oversee the quality and safety of the service.

Electronic care planning and rota systems were used. People and their relevant others could access the electronic care planning and rota system remotely to view information about their visits and care. People said very positive things about the management and staff and described the service as a ‘quality service’.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

This service was registered with us on 9 June 2021 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected. This inspection was partly prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation the provider develops and establishes the systems and processes to oversee the quality and safety of the service.

The registered manager responded immediately during and after the inspection to address the completion of records and improve information in order to mitigate any potential risks.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.