We carried out a review of the data available to us about Bluebird Care (Greenwich) on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Bluebird Care (Greenwich), you can give feedback on this service.
Bluebird Care (Greenwich) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care, support and live in care services to adults and older people living within their own homes. Not everyone using the service may receive the regulated activity; personal care. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection there were approximately 80 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service
People and their relatives spoke positively about the care and support they received. Staff communicated well with people and had built good relationships with them. Professionals feedback was also positive confirming good partnership working.
People and their relatives told us they felt safe. Safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures were in place and staff were aware of how to keep people safe. People were protected from identified risks and plans were in place to manage risks safely in the least restrictive way.
Arrangements were in place to manage medicines safely and staff followed appropriate infection control practices to prevent the spread of infections. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there were sufficient staff available to meet people's needs. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people appropriately. Staff were supported through induction, training and supervision.
People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet where this was part of the planned care. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.
People and their relatives were involved and consulted about their care and support needs. People had access to health and social care professionals as required and were supported to access community services.
Staff worked with people to promote their rights and understood the Equality Act 2010; supporting people appropriately addressing any protected characteristics. There were systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of the service. The service worked well in partnership with health and social care professionals.
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 30 November 2016).
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.
The service had a registered manager in post. 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 and their relatives told us they felt safe with the staff. The service had clear procedures to recognise and respond to abuse. All staff completed safeguarding training. Senior staff completed risk assessments for people who used the service which provided sufficient guidance for staff to minimise identified risks. The service had a system to manage accidents and incidents to reduce reoccurrence.
The service had enough staff to support people and carried out satisfactory recruitment checks on staff before they started working. The service had an on call system to make sure staff had support outside the office working hours. Staff supported people so they took their medicine safely. The service provided an induction and training, and supported staff through regular supervision and annual appraisal to help them undertake their role.
People’s consent was sought before care was provided. The registered manager was aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). At the time of inspection they told us they were not supporting any people who did not have the capacity to make decisions for themselves. Care records we saw confirmed this.
Staff supported people to eat and drink enough to meet their needs. People’s relatives coordinated health care appointments to meet people’s needs, and staff were available to support people to access health care appointments if needed.
Staff supported people in a way which was caring, respectful, and protected their privacy and dignity. Staff developed people’s care plans that were tailored to meet their individual needs. Care plans were reviewed regularly and were up to date.
The service had a clear policy and procedure for managing complaints. People knew how to complain and would do so if necessary. The service sought the views of people who used the services. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and the provider. The service had an effective system to assess and monitor the quality of the care people received.