The Care Quality Commission
  • Services in your home
  • Homecare service

Archived: Bluebird Care

11 Swan Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 6QZ (01543) 418432

Provided and run by:
Kendrick Haylings & Jones Limited

All Inspections

10 April 2013

During a routine inspection

At our last visit to Bluebird Care we found that the service was not compliant in four key outcomes. We looked at these outcomes at this inspection visit. We wanted to know whether the service had made improvements. We found that improvements had been made and the service was compliant in the four outcome areas.

At this visit to Bluebird Care offices in Lichfield we spoke with senior staff and two care staff. We contacted and spoke with six people on the telephone.

After the inspection we contacted people and their relatives who used the service to obtain their views of Bluebird Care. We spoke with six people. People told us that the care workers supported their care needs in the way they had agreed. People said that they felt that care workers spoke with them nicely and listened to their requests. Other comments we received from people included, 'Perfectly happy' and 'They did what they said on the label'. However we received one comment which suggested that communication could be improved. One person told us that changes had been made to the time of the morning visit to their relative and this change had not been discussed with them.

Information we received from care staff told us that they felt the service had recently started to improve.

We saw that the procedures for handling complaints had improved. We found that robust quality monitoring systems had been introduced to ensure that ongoing improvements could be made to the service.

26 August 2012

During an inspection in response to concerns

Why we carried out this review

We carried out this review to check on the care and welfare of people using the service. We had received concerns about people who used the service receiving visits much later than had been planned. People were also concerned about the quality of service they received

At the time of our visit to Bluebird Care offices in Lichfield we spoke briefly with one of the Directors, the registered manager and five care staff. We were able to speak with people who used the service and staff employed by the agency. One person was visiting the agency at the time of our visit and they kindly agreed to speak to us. We contacted and spoke with four other people on the telephone.

People said that care staff treated them with respect and were polite. We asked people if they were satisfied with the service they received. Four of the people we spoke with said they were very unhappy about the service they received. These four people expressed some concerns with the service they received.

People's concerns included that they did not have consistent care staff visiting them. People told us that care staff arrived at different times of the day and were often late. One person told us that "Things have changed, staff are always late and they (agency) don't let us know that they are going to be late". While we spoke with one person on the telephone they told us that the carers should have arrived at 4.00pm. Our telephone conversation ended at 4.35pm and the care staff had not arrived.

People told us that they had concerns about the quality of staff that were visiting them. One person told us "I had two new carers they did not know what they were doing. It was like the blind leading the blind. I had to tell them what to do".

Four people we spoke with told us that they had told the manager and staff in the office about their concerns. They told us "Things change for a while but they don't last". One person said "I don't think they have enough staff, especially at the weekend".

One person we spoke with told us they were happy with the support they received and that it made a difference to their everyday living.

Information we received from care staff told us that they were short of care staff. Care staff told us that their allocation changed daily and extra visits were often 'squeezed in'.