We carried out a review of the data available to us about Bluebird Care (Torbay) 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 (Torbay), you can give feedback on this service.
There was 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.
Bluebird Care UK is a national franchise. A franchise is when a franchisee (the provider) has bought the rights to sell a specific company's products in a particular area using the company's name. Throughout the report we have referred to Bluebird Care (Torbay) as Bluebird Care.
Bluebird Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. Not everyone using Bluebird Care received a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. The service currently supports 34 people in the community receiving a regulated activity.
At our last inspection we rated the service good.
At this inspection we rated the service as outstanding this was because the provider had made significant improvements to the service since the last inspection.
Why have we rated this service as Outstanding?
The service demonstrated a clear commitment to promoting a strong and visible person centred, caring culture by providing a service which put people at the heart of everything they did. Kindness, respect, dignity and compassion were key principles on which the service was built. The provider told us, “Delivering the highest standard of homecare and support is our absolute goal.”
People were extremely complimentary about Bluebird Care and the staff who supported them. Without exception, people said they received exceptionally high quality, compassionate care. People gave us a number of examples of where staff had gone ‘over and above’ what was required of them. One person said, “I couldn’t ask for better. They are all so lovely and very caring. They ‘mother’ me and make me feel special.” Another person told us, “The team are an essential part of my day. They let me know that someone out there, cares for me.”
Staff were highly motivated and spoke passionately about the people they supported and wanted to provide excellent care for people. One said, “I love my job. It’s all about making a difference.”
The service ensured each person was supported by a small team of staff which enabled people to build trusting relationships. This aspect of the service was very much appreciated by the people we spoke with. One person said, “They are very good at getting one of the staff I know well to go with me to appointments. I can relax and sit back. I value their support.”
People received personalised care which was delivered in accordance with their wishes and lifestyle. The management team carried out assessments which looked at people's interests and lifestyle choices as well as their needs. This enabled them to match people to staff who shared their values and therefore helped them to build relationships. For example, one person used to be a semi-professional musician. They were matched with a staff member who also had a strong interest in music. The staff member told us, “It helps that we both like talking about music and have a shared interest. Some days we just sit and have a chat. He’s very interesting and I love to hear about his time playing.”
The provider and staff were constantly looking at innovative ways in which they could enrich the lives of the people they supported and enhance their wellbeing. They had recently introduced ‘customer sparkle’. The provider told us, “The customer sparkle is a way of adding a little extra something to someone’s day. This could be a trip out, or anything of their choice, with their preferred care worker, totally free and on us.” Staff told us that each month they would nominate people, someone they felt needed that extra bit of ‘tender loving care’, to give them a couple of hours of their time to do whatever they wanted to do.
Outstanding care was provided to people because the service was well-led. People were at the heart of the service and this was truly reflected by the management. The registered manager and provider demonstrated clear visions and values and were passionate and committed to providing an excellent person-centred service for people and their relatives. These values were owned by staff who were equally committed and enthusiastic about fulfilling their roles and responsibilities in a way that delivered the best possible outcomes for people.
The service embraced innovation and continuous learning to improve care, ensure people were safe and enrich people's lives. The provider had robust systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. Feedback was obtained from people using the service, relatives and the staff team. Any improvements that would benefit the people being supported and the staff team were driven forward by the provider, the management team and the staff.
The service had an excellent workplace culture for staff. Staff were highly valued by managers and their contributions were appreciated and celebrated. Staff told us they were proud to work at Bluebird Care and spoke very highly about the support they received, how the service was managed and the encouragement they received when suggesting improvements.
There was a clear commitment by the provider to employ the best possible staff who were well trained, had the right qualities and would always deliver an exceptional service. The provider's recruitment procedure ensured staff were thoroughly checked before they began work. People told us staff had the necessary knowledge, experience and skills to provide appropriate care for people. Appropriate numbers of staff were deployed to meet people's needs and provide continuity of care.
Staff at Bluebird Care were passionate about supporting community services and initiatives and had created positive links and a strong community presence within the local area. The service held regular free social events that people, who used the service could attend. These included Christmas parties, “bake off” events and afternoon teas for people who may be at risk of social isolation. This increased the positive relationships between people and staff.
People were protected from abuse and neglect. We found staff knew about risks to people and how to avoid potential harm. Risks related to people's care were assessed, recorded and mitigated. People felt safe with the staff who supported them.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were provided with assistance to eat and drink well, where this had been identified as a care need. There was collaborative working with various community healthcare professionals.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
The service did not have a registered manager. 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 manager had left the service in December 2015. The provider was managing the day to day running of the service. They were actively recruiting for a new manager.
We visited the office on 5 May 2016. We carried out phone calls to people and their relatives on 10 May 2016. We carried out home visits on 10 and 13 May 2016. At the time of this announced inspection 24 people were receiving personal care from the service. The service was registered in April 2014 and this was the first inspection.
People were really pleased with the way staff treated them. Each person we spoke with told us their care workers were kind, caring and compassionate. Comments included “It’s been really good, they do find good staff, they really do seem to care” and “Enormously caring”. Staff spoke about the people they cared for with compassion and concern. People told us staff were respectful and polite. We saw staff and people interact in a friendly way. People were pleased to see the staff. The staff knew people well and chatted with them with warmth and laughter. Staff checked if they could do anything else for each person before leaving. When a staff member left one person, they said to the staff “Thank you for all that you do”.
People and their relatives told us they felt safe and comfortable when staff were in their home and when they received care. People told us “I feel safe, I’ve never felt uncomfortable” and “I know the staff”. Staff knew how to recognise signs of potential abuse and understood how to report any concerns in line with the service’s safeguarding policy. Safe staff recruitment procedures were in place. This helped reduce the risk of the provider employing a person who may be a risk to vulnerable people.
People told us they had a regular team of staff who had the appropriate skills to meet their needs. Comments included “I’m very happy with them, they meet all my needs” and “They do something right in the training, they have good staff”. Staff told us they were happy with the training they received. The service employed a training officer who provided face to face training. New staff completed training before going out to visit people. Staff told us they felt well supported and had regular opportunities to discuss their work.
People told us staff were usually on time. Comments included “They always arrive on time”; “They’re always here within a few minutes of the agreed time” and “It’s never rushed”. People told us they were usually told about any changes. Staff told us they were usually able to get to their visits on time. Staff told us if they needed more travel time between visits, this was addressed.
Care plans were developed with the person they related to. They described in detail the support the person needed to manage their day to day health needs. Staff knew people well and were able to tell us how they supported people. During home visits, we saw staff responded to people’s requests, met their needs appropriately, and knew how they liked things to be done. The service was aware some people may be at risk of becoming socially isolated. One staff member commented “Some people don’t see family I’m there every day, it’s nice for them to have some company”. Staff supported people to take part in activities and outings. Examples included fishing trips, encouraging people to go for a walk, going shopping, trips to the garden centre, and going out for coffee.
Risk assessments had been undertaken for each person. These included information about action to be taken to minimise the chance of harm occurring to people. For example, one person received their medicines via a PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) tube. The district nurse had trained and assessed staff as competent to carry this out. A risk assessment was in place with clear information on how to prepare and administer this person’s medicines. People were supported safely with their medicines and told us they were happy with the support they received. Medicine administration record (MAR) sheets were fully completed. This showed people had received their medicines as prescribed to promote good health. Risk assessments relating to each person’s home environment had been completed. Where concerns were identified, action had been taken to reduce the risks to people.
The service reviewed incidents and accidents to minimise the risk of them happening again. For example, two staff went out to one person and were not familiar with their moving and handling equipment. The provider contacted the occupational therapist who provided training on the piece of equipment. The office co-ordinators were reminded they needed to make sure staff knew how to meet individual needs before allocating visits.
The service sought regular feedback from people. People had been invited to an ‘open office’ on the second day of our inspection. The purpose of the event was to discuss how things were going, share stories and make suggestions for improvement. Surveys had been sent out in April 2016. We saw that 17 responses had been received and these were mostly positive. People and their relatives felt able to raise concerns or make a complaint. They were confident their concerns would be taken seriously. People told us they didn’t have any complaints. One person said any concerns were acted on quickly. Another person said “I would tell them if they annoyed me, I’d ring the office with any concerns”. Where complaints had been received they had been managed in line with the company policy. The provider had contacted people to check they were satisfied with the outcome.
People and staff told us the provider and management team were approachable. People commented “I’m very happy with everything I would definitely recommend them to anybody”; “Everything’s as good as it can be” and “I can’t think of anything they could improve”. Staff said they were able to ask for support at any time and felt the service had improved. Staff told us there was open culture and they were able to make suggestions for improvements. For example, staff told us about the new supervision form they had suggested which contained more detailed information.
The service’s vision was to deliver the best care possible. This was reflected in staff’s work. All staff we spoke with told us they enjoyed their role. Staff commented “It all runs smoothly” and “It’s about the ‘Care’” whilst pointing to their uniform which says Bluebird Care.
The provider was keen to develop and improve the service. They told us they received regular updates from head office. They kept up-to-date with best practice by accessing information through Skills for Care and The United Kingdom Homecare Association. Records were clear, well organised and up to date. The service had quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of the service. Bluebird Care sent a representative from their head office to carry out an annual audit. Senior staff at the service checked records and carried out unannounced spot checks to observe staff’s work practice. The provider held weekly operational meetings with the deputy manager, supervisor and co-ordinator to discuss what had been happening and plan the week ahead.