Bluebird Care East Suffolk, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

Effective – this means we looked for evidence that people’s care, treatment and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on best available evidence. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated Good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this.

This service scored 75 (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 made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

The management team completed thorough person‑centred assessments with people to ensure their needs were fully understood, and could be met, before they started using the service. The management team and care staff continually worked closely with people, their representatives and relevant health and social care professionals to build up a complete picture of each person’s individual needs and preferences. This helped ensure that care was always tailored to what mattered most to them.

A person using the service told us, “They came and did an assessment before. We went through everything. They deliver what we agreed at that meeting. It’s just companionship at the moment but I will need personal care in a couple of weeks.”

A person’s representative explained, “They firstly carried out an initial assessment to assess [relative]’s needs whilst I was on the phone, so I could hear all the questions being asked and assist where needed, as my [relative] does struggle with [their] speech at times.”

Information from people’s assessments was then used to compile individual care plans, which clearly documented people’s needs and explained how they should be supported to have those needs met. We saw information included areas such as communication, behaviours, health conditions, medicines management, nutrition and hydration, continence and mobility. This ensured staff had comprehensive and accessible information to provide safe, effective, and personalised care. A member of staff told us, “The care plans are well organised, easy to access and kept up to date. Everything I need to know is in them.”

Most people and their representatives told us that care plans were reviewed regularly, and changes were made as soon as they were needed. A person’s representative told us, “My [Relative]’s care plan is regularly reviewed by me and the staff.” And, “If the care plan needs to be tweaked, I call [Registered Manager] and we set up a meeting. No hassle, we just chat things through and it is all sorted.”

The provider planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

The management team worked hard to ensure the service stayed up to date with best practice and delivered care and support in line with recommended guidance and recognised tools. People’s care plans included reference to best practice guidance and staff received regular training to ensure their knowledge and skills remained up to date.

Staff spoke very positively about the standards of the service and the delivery of support. For example, a member of staff told us, “It’s a high standard of care that we provide to our service users. I feel and see that the clients really like Bluebird as a company and they like the carers a lot. The clients always have their rotas on time, and the calls are normally at the same time, which gives clients a sense of continuity and respect. I feel the clients are respected and listened to and, for me, that makes all the difference.”

Another member of staff stated, “The best thing about working for Bluebird is that I know everyone’s priority is the clients’ health and welfare. Carers are taken care of too, but it is the clients who we do this job for.”

The provider worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

The management team and care staff all worked effectively in partnership with a range of professionals to ensure people received consistent and coordinated care and support.

A member of care staff told us, “I have had situations where I have needed to call the emergency services and due to my training this has always gone smoothly alongside the extra advice from the office when in those situations.”

A person’s representative told us, “My [relative] will be starting some new medication for [their] Dementia, and [registered manager] has helped by liaising with the Memory Clinic. [Relative]’s carers will be collecting [their] medication from the pharmacy directly and will begin administering this daily from next week.”

Collaborative working across services enabled people to have access to safe and effective care which respected their wishes and reflected what was important to them. A member of care staff told us, “A client's family placed [them] in residential care for a week, whilst on holiday. The client didn't like it, so next time there was a holiday, we increased our visits throughout the day to allow the client to stay at home and [they were] a lot happier.”

Another representative explained, “My relative was very unwell, the carers recognised this and called me to let me know. I live 200 miles away and of course I was very anxious. They kept in touch with me all the time and stayed with my relative until the ambulance arrived. They contacted head office and they agreed that the carers should go with [relative] to the hospital and they stayed until I arrived. Calling me regularly with updates.”

Care staff worked well together to provide a seamless service to people. Care staff enjoyed working as part of a team and used it as an opportunity to share learning. Comments from care workers included, “I love the fact that we have a lot of regular customers, as they get used to you and you get used to them. The care plans for the clients are all clear and present.” And, “Before I go into a client, I always read the notes so nothing gets missed. If I feel something else could be done, then I call the office and discuss it with them. Then, if it's ok, it gets added onto the tasks.”

The provider supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. Staff supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

Staff knew the people they supported well and were quick to identify if people required additional support from healthcare professionals. People and their representatives told us that staff were always very observant and aware of people’s health and wellbeing. In addition to being told, we frequently saw it written in people’s daily notes, where staff had identified a concern, discussed it with the person they were supporting and taken follow up action, including further monitoring.

For example, a member of care staff noticed that a person was having difficulty passing urine and, on discussing it with the person, established that they had not been drinking much, as they were worried it would make them ‘need to go more’. The staff member explained the importance of drinking enough to the person but also took action for them to have a urine test, as they suspected they may have acquired a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Staff were knowledgeable and understood people’s nutritional needs and supported them to have a healthy balanced diet. A person’s representative told us, “Food is left for [relative] and just needs heating up. It is always beautifully presented.” Another person told us, “They make sure [relative] has a drink, an ice cream or a lolly ice, to stop [them] dehydrating.”

Care staff also recognised the value and health benefits of companionship, human contact and making people laugh and be happy. A member of care staff told us, “I love working for this company because it’s about meeting lovely people that you visit every day and making them smile and laugh. It's very rewarding because, for some of these people, the carers may be the only people that they see.” A person told us, “The carers make me laugh and we do quizzes and have lots of giggles.”

The provider routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

The service had effective systems in place to monitor, review, and improve outcomes for people. There was clear evidence that people’s needs were regularly reviewed, both as part of scheduled reviews and in response to any changes in their circumstances. These reviews considered people’s individual goals and desired outcomes, as well as the progress made towards achieving them, ensuring care remained relevant and person‑centred.

The service responded promptly and effectively when people’s needs changed. A person’s representative told us, “[The registered manager] is who I email about any problems or changes to the week, and [they have] always helped and been flexible with changing days where needed.

The provider told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

The provider met the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People told us that staff involved them in all aspects of their daily care, asked for their consent and respected their choices. Staff were knowledgeable about the principles of the MCA and told us they always obtained people’s consent before doing anything for them.

Mental capacity assessments were completed for people. When people lacked the mental capacity to make certain decisions, staff met with relevant and authorised people, to ensure any decisions made, were in the person’s best interests. People’s care records were clear about the decisions people had and did not have capacity to make or consent to.