Archived: Bluebells Homecare Limited

Updated 22 December 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 26 November and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be available to assist us with our inspection.

The inspection team consisted of 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.

Before the inspection the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We reviewed the information included in the PIR along with information we held about the service.

We reviewed a range of records about people’s care and how the service was managed. This included three people’s plans of care and associated documents including risk assessments. We also looked at three staff files including their recruitment and training records and the quality assurance audits that the registered manager completed.

We visited two people who were using the service. This was to check that people had up to date plans of care in place and to determine whether they were satisfied with the support they were receiving.

During our visit to the provider’s office we were able to speak with members of the staff team. This included the registered manager and the senior care worker.

After the inspection visit we telephoned eight people who were using the service and four relatives. This was to gather their views of the service being provided. Three support workers were also contacted by telephone following our visit.

Updated 22 December 2015

This inspection took place on 26 November 2015 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a small domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in the office. The service provided domiciliary care and support to people living in the Castle Donnington area and surrounding towns and villages. At the time of our inspection there were 20 people using the service.

The service had 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.

People told us they felt safe with the support workers who looked after them and their relatives agreed. Support workers knew what to look out for and the procedure to follow, if they felt that someone was at risk of harm.

Risks associated with people’s care and support had been assessed prior to their care package starting. This was so the support workers could provide care and support in the safest possible way.

There was a recruitment process in place though this was not always followed robustly. Suitable references for new staff had not always been obtained in a timely manner. The registered manager assured us that these would be obtained for all new staff in the future.

Support workers had been provided with an induction into the service and regular training was being completed. Support workers we spoke with felt supported by the registered manager and they told us there was always someone available to speak with should they need any help or advice.

People using the service and their relatives had been involved in deciding what care and support they needed and had been involved in the development of their plan of care.

People’s consent was obtained before their care and support was provided and support workers we spoke with understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

Support workers were aware of what they could and couldn’t do with regards to medicines and only supported people with medicines that were included in their medication administration record.

People told us that the support workers who supported them were kind and caring. They told us that they always turned up and always stayed their allocated amount of time.

People using the service and their relatives knew what to do if they were unhappy with the service they received. They knew who to speak with and were confident that any concerns would be dealt with properly.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of service being provided and people were asked for their opinion of the service on a regular basis.