Background to this inspection
Updated
6 November 2019
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team
The inspection team consisted of one 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.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats and specialist housing.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
Inspection activity started on 04 October 2019 and ended on 14 October 2019. We visited the office location on 08 October 2019.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We spoke with six people who used the service and ten relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the director, registered manager, field care supervisor, a mentor and care workers.
We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.
After the inspection
We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We spoke with two professionals who regularly visited people using the service.
Updated
6 November 2019
About the service
Bluebird Care (Stafford) is a care at home service providing personal care to 114 people within their own houses or flats across Stafford and surrounding areas at the time of our inspection
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People and those important to them were at the heart of their care. People were overwhelmingly involved in the planning and delivery of exceptionally person centred and holistic support from staff. This had significantly improved people and their family's physical and mental wellbeing, independence and overall quality of life.
People were empowered by passionate staff who encouraged people to achieve their goals and follow their interests. People were supported by staff to improve their confidence, spend time in their local community and build trusting relationships with staff and other people receiving care to improve their quality of life. People were consistently supported and encouraged by staff to engage in activities which were meaningful to them. This meant people consistently achieved positive outcomes with their care and support and remained independent for longer.
People felt safe and were supported by safely recruited and trained staff who understood their needs and preferences and knew them well. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed and access health professionals should they require and wish this. Where the service was responsible, people were supported to maintain a balanced diet. People were supported by staff who were respectful, kind and compassionate.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were actively involved in the planning and review of their care and encouraged to give feedback about the service. People's needs, goals and preferences were included in person centred care plans which gave staff clear guidance on how to meet their needs. This ensured people received care and support in a way they preferred. Where people had made complaints the registered manager had dealt with these thoroughly and provided feedback to people and their families.
The registered manager reviewed the quality of the service to ensure areas of improvement were identified and people continued to experience a high quality of care. The registered manager promoted an inclusive and positive culture at the service which meant people felt able to communicate openly with staff and the management team.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 10 April 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.