Bluebird care (Barnsley and Glossop)

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been ratedgood. Thismeant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 82 (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 had a very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

People’s quality of life was significantly improved through a culture of continuous improvement and inclusion. The registered manager and provider demonstrated compassion and created a supportive environment where staff and people were confident to share views. People and their relatives spoke highly of the service and its leadership and described the care as, “Respectful,” “kind” and “excellent. People were encouraged to achieve meaningful outcomes, to prevent loneliness and isolation. Special occasions were acknowledged, for example, people’s birthdays were celebrated.

People and their relatives told us they had no concerns and didn’t want anything changing. They praised the caring nature of the staff and described the service as, “Well managed,” “responsive” and “organised.”

The provider had exceptionally inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The provider and management team were motivated and enthusiastic and were constantly looking for areas they could improve and develop.Staff spoke highly of the management and felt valued and respected. A staff member said, “Management and the office team do provide us with good support whenever it is needed.” Another said, “The manager and provider are the most supportive and will make adjustments to ensure you’re rested and happy with your work life.”

The management team valued the staff and looked at ways to improve their wellbeing. For example, staff had raised issues with travel time between calls due to the location of where people lived. The provider had agreed until more calls were in a specific area they would look to reimburse staff for some travel time. The provider also acknowledged birthdays and all staff received a personalised cake and well wishes on their birthday. This made staff feel like valued members of the team where their contributions mattered.

Relatives spoke highly of the registered manager, one said, “The manager is brilliant and leads the company fantastically. All the staff are polite and efficient; I have no complaints and would recommend them.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people knew they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

There were policies and procedures in place to support staff to speak up if they had concerns about care and support.

There was regular engagement with people and their relatives, and they felt listened to.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. Staff were supported fairly and there were policies in place to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion was promoted in the workplace. Staff said protected characteristics were considered and reasonable adjustments were made where required. Staff felt valued and included.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate. The provider had governance systems in place and continuously looked at ways to improve systems to ensure positive outcomes for people and staff.

Good practice and learning were shared and the provider collaborated and worked with partners, commissioners and health care professionals. The provider promoted a culture of being able to speak up and be listened to.

We found processes were in place to record any complaints accidents or incidents and that appropriate notifications and referrals were made to other agencies.

Views were sought from people who used the service and from their relatives. A quality satisfaction survey was sent out to give opportunity for relatives to be involve. This helped staff and leaders improve how the service was run and presented. The last survey identified some improvements were required with communicating late visits and changes to staff rota, an action plan was developed to ensure improvements were made.

Regular staff meetings were held and staff received regular supervision and appraisals where they could speak in confidence.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. They shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The registered manager worked with social care and health care professionals to improve the service provided to people and to ensure a consistent service was received. One health care professional said, “I found the service responsive to my requests for support for a complex case.”

Where people had contacts with health professionals, the recommendations for care and the outcomes were included in care plans to ensure people’s care needs were being met consistently.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

The registered manager looked at ways to improve the service by learning lessons and sharing good practice. We saw examples of lessons learnt, including wheelchair safety and consent, where issues had been identified at other services or hospital trusts, the provider completed lessons learnt to ensure staff were aware of the possible risks and improve practice within the service to promote positive outcomes for people.

Staff were continuously learning and actively encouraged to attend additional specific training.