Bluebird Care (Doncaster)

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respected their privacy and dignity. A relative told us, “They [staff] are very respectful.” Another relative said, “They [staff] are all polite, well-mannered and willing to do what's required.”

Staff understood people should be treated with kindness and have their rights to privacy and dignity respected. A staff member told us, “I know the people I support well, I know where they were born, their age, their families and grandchildren. I know when they are happy or sad and their hobbies and what they enjoy doing. We [staff] build a rapport with them.”

The manager undertook regular spot checks on staff to seek assurances that people were treated with kindness and compassion by staff.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff understood how to treat people as individuals and provide care and support in line with their needs and preferences. A relative told us, “They go above and beyond to make sure we get what we need. When there's been sickness, they come in on days off. We discuss what I need then they write it down and check things are working well.”

The registered manager undertook regular monitoring and reviews of people’s care and support needs, to make sure care plans reflected people’s individual needs and preferences.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Staff understood the importance of independence, choice and control. A staff member told us, “We treat each person as an individual by respecting their beliefs, understanding, and support preferences.” Care plans confirmed what people wanted to do for themselves and what support they expected from staff.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Relatives described how staff had responded proactively when their family member’s need changed. A person told us, “Staff are kind caring and I have been having them for almost a year, first at lunch and now 3 times a day. I am really pleased with them.” A relative told us how the service had responded to their immediate need where other companies were unable to. The relative said, “Had no problems at all. They are the first care company we used. The council had a 6-week steps programme but couldn’t get a care company, another company recommended them, they assessed my relative and since then they have been superb.”

We received mixed feedback whilst some staff told us staff wellbeing was promoted, and support was provided to help them deliver person-centred care. Half of the feedback from staff shared concerns about the workload not always being manageable and despite expressing concerns, nothing had changed as a result.

We asked the manager about staff feedback, and they gave assurances staffing was a priority and shared various methods they were using to boost recruitment and retention to ease pressure on staff. The provider also said, “We have a new staff suggestion box, designed to encourage open communication and continuous improvement through staff feedback. We’ve also included a poster [for staff] outlining our Employee Assistance Programme which offers our team confidential and independent support on a wide range of issues. The manager is already in the process of arranging a staff meeting for everyone within the next two weeks.”

Some staff said they felt listened to, valued, and supported in their roles. One staff member said, “The director and management team have always been supportive, and I feel I can approach them at any time. There is an Employee Assistance Programme that they offer where we can access counselling, advice on finances and family issues, if needed. They [management] check in with us often and make team meetings fun and always make me feel like I’m part of a team.

Support was given following significant incidents, including debrief sessions that helped staff reflect and process events.