Bluebird Care (Carlisle)

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 that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.

This service scored 86 (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.

There was a shared understanding of the vision of the service. A staff member said, “We all work towards doing our best, we share the same goal. The customer first and foremost!” Another told us, “There’s a very person-centred approach for customers and staff, it’s role modelled from the top down.” This ethos began during staff recruitment with a values-based selection process, followed by a robust induction which was supported by a dedicated care mentor.

Regular staff meetings were held, which were specific to the areas staff worked in. Staff said these were very welcomed and had been instrumental in improving the culture, and teamwork. They said they gave the opportunity to share feedback and ideas and discuss each person’s individual needs. Staff comments included, “The owners are in it for the people” and “They genuinely care and are invested in getting it right.” Staff said they felt very supported. One staff member said, “The manager is very open, accessible and supportive.”

The provider had 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 did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

Everyone spoken with spoke highly of the management team. One staff member said, “Role modelling starts at the top, managers and leaders are approachable and listen. Observational supervision happens which increases confidence.” Comments from people and relatives included, “We can always get through to someone, even the out of hours are really good,” and “It’s always reliable, I know they will always come.”

The provider was exceptional at fostering a positive culture where people knew they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

There were consistent, high levels of engagement with people, relatives and staff. Everyone, without exception told us they had no complaints but could share their views and were confident their feedback would be valued, listened to and acted on.

Where concerns had been raised the nominated individual was proactive in ensuring the person was spoken with the same day so their feedback was acknowledged and responded to.

One person told us how they had spoken with a staff member about a concern they wanted kept between themselves. They explained the staff member had offered support and reassurances and said, “[Staff member] explained things to me and that day the office staff came out and spoke with me. They actually came back last night to update me on what’s happening.”

Complaints and concerns were acted upon promptly and lessons learned. This included enhancing staff shadowing and induction and increased monitoring.

Regular feedback was sought from people and staff. Responses were listened to and acted upon. This included an ongoing review of calls following staff feedback in relation to travel time and the impact on the provision of care.

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.

Policies and procedures were in place and staff attended equality, inclusion and diversity training.

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.

There were clear and effective governance arrangements. A range of audits were completed which meant any shortfalls were identified and action taken to make required improvements.

A sustainability and growth plan was in place, as was a service improvement plan.

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.

Managers and staff were open and transparent in their communication. They worked alongside other professionals to deliver good quality, safe care for people.

Partnerships were developing with a local hospice and The Alzheimer’s Society as well as The University of West Scotland.

The provider had a strong focus on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They always encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people.

Managers and leaders understood the value in seeking the views of people, stakeholders and staff to drive improvement and develop the quality of the service. Time and resources had been invested to enable staff to learn and develop whilst also seeking collaboration of involvement from people and relatives.

A care mentor had been employed whose role was to support staff. They regularly observed staff practice including their engagement with and knowledge of people, how they listened to people and responded to the information shared. Observations of care provision took place to ensure safe, dignified and respectful care was delivered as well as maintaining appropriate records.

Incidents and concerns were openly discussed in team meetings so everyone could work together to find solutions and identify action to take to minimise the risk of reoccurrence.

Links had been established with a senior lecturer at the Alzheimer Scotland Centre for Policy and Practice in the development of their own Dementia training suite, this was being rolled out alongside a new dementia assessment toolkit. Staff were also able to complete a level 2 aware in dementia awareness and a relaunch of dementia friends with the whole team.

Bluebird Care (Carlisle) also engaged in fundraising activities for The Alzheimer’s Society and a local hospice.