Bluebird Care (Islington) & Bluebird Care (Hackney)

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. At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good.

This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

People and relatives spoke positively about the kindness and compassion shown by staff. One relative told us, “We are extremely lucky that we have got them” while another relative told us carers sang old songs to cheer their family member up and improved their emotional wellbeing.

People told us staff treated them with dignity and respect. One person told us staff helped preserve their dignity when supporting them with personal care by covering them appropriately and closing curtains and doors.

Staff told us they understood the importance of promoting people’s privacy, comfort and emotional wellbeing. For example, staff told us they always addressed people by their preferred names and respected their choices.

People received care and support that reflected their individual needs, preferences and routines. People and relatives told us staff knew them well and understood how they preferred their care to be provided. One relative told us the same carers regularly visited for a long time and described them as “all nice and respectful.”

The service adapted support to meet people’s changing preferences and individual circumstances. One person receiving support had become more willing to engage with staff over time and accepted personal care from one regular care worker they trusted.

Care plans considered people’s individual circumstances, including disability, culture, communication and religious needs, when planning care and support. Care plans also reflected people’s hobbies, routines, and social interests, including walks, cinema visits, favourite television programmes, and spending time with family members and their pets.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People told us they felt empowered to make decisions about their care and support. One person told us they could tell staff what they wanted and how they wanted their care to be provided. They told us they were able to self-administer their medicines and the service respected and supported their decision.

Care records showed staff respected people’s choices, including when people declined aspects of their care. For example, where people had chosen not to have a shower on certain days and staff had respected this. Staff told us they gave people options, for example around meal choices, so people could decide what they would like.

External professionals told us the service worked with local dementia-focused community organisations to help people remain socially engaged. One professional told us they jointly arranged community activities with the service so people living with dementia could access social events and stay connected.

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.

Staff consistently checked and responded to people’s immediate needs during visits. For example, staff monitored pain levels, assessed comfort and ensured people were settled and comfortable before leaving.

One relative told us care workers always made sure their family member was comfortable before carrying out personal care in bed, which helped maintain her dignity and wellbeing. People and relatives told us the service responded quickly when they needed support to be adjusted.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they felt supported by managers and office teams. One staff member told us, “I feel supported by the manager and comfortable calling the office for advice whenever I need guidance.” Another staff member told us, “I enjoy making a difference to someone’s life.”

The service gathered feedback from staff through surveys and supervisions. We reviewed a staff feedback survey and supervision records and found staff feedback was positive about support from managers, communication and being treated with respect. The service had identified areas for improvement relating to travel time and rotas and had discussed these with office team members.

Managers and the director told us the service supported staff wellbeing and safety through flexible working arrangements and regular communication. Lone worker risk assessments had been completed as part of staff recruitment process.