Background to this inspection
Updated
11 August 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 team included an inspector and an Expert by Experience. 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
This inspection was unannounced. Inspection activity started on 22 March 2023 and ended on 27 March 2023. We visited the location’s office on 22 March 2023.
What we did before the inspection
We reviewed information we already held about the service including the Provider Information Return (PIR).
The provider completed a PIR prior to this inspection in October 2022. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.
We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
During the inspection we spoke with 5 members of staff. This included the registered manager, the nominated individual, a senior carer and 2 care assistants. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.
We also spoke with 6 people who used the service and 3 of their relatives. We tried to make contact with 17 people, but not everyone was available to answer the phone to speak with us.
During our visit we looked at care records, staff recruitment records and the policies and procedures used by the provider.
Updated
11 August 2023
About the service
Bluebird Care (Northumberland South) is a domiciliary care agency providing personal care to people in their homes. 58 people were receiving personal care at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The needs of people had been assessed before they joined the service and this was regularly reviewed, involving people in decisions about their care. The provider had also taken steps to ensure there was sufficient staffing so that people received care from the same staff that they knew.
When things went wrong people were told and the registered manager understood their responsibilities. They had taken steps to receive feedback from people who used the service so that care could be improved. Joined up working, alongside other healthcare professionals, also took place to find good outcomes for people who used the service.
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.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
At the time of the inspection, the location did not provide care or support for anyone with a learning disability or an autistic person. However, we assessed the care provision under Right Support, Right Care, Right Culture, as it is registered as a specialist service for this population group.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (report published 5 January 2018).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service and the time that had passed since our last inspection.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
The overall rating for the service has remained good based on the findings of this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Bluebird Care (Northumberland South) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.