Black Country Management Limited trading as Bluebird Care Walsall

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

This service scored 75 (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 made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs. A person told us, “The carers are responsive to my care needs, and the company are really responsive to me and any requests. I have a care plan which I helped create which is reviewed regularly where the manager checks that they are meeting all of my care needs. The care provided is always person centred.” A relative told us, “The staff provide person centred care which is ultra responsive to all [person’s name] needs, both personally and emotionally.” Staff told us they were able to provide individual and person-centred care to the people they supported. They could give examples of how people liked to have their needs met and we were able to confirm this within peoples care plans. For example, a staff member said, “The care plan is in the system, gives us everything we need but we observe people as well to check on their emotional needs.” The registered manager told us, “Our care plans are done around the person, we do not copy and paste information, they are all individually completed. The daily care notes have also got to be person-centered. I even know when I can contact relatives as we have the information on the file of when best to call. We have good relationships with everyone and can share things straight away when things change in our system.” We found peoples care records included information which was specific to them and designed to guide staff to provide person-centered care. This included information about the type of drinks people preferred, preferences around personal care and information about any changes were documented in the care plan and shared as required.

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity. The registered manager had systems in place to ensure people received continuity of care. Staff were assigned to people. People and their relatives confirmed they knew who was attending calls and they had regular staff. Where required, other professional’s advice was sought and the registered manager ensured people had access to services they needed. For example, the registered manager assessed peoples mobility and risks associated with this, when they began using the service and where needed they made the relevant referrals for professionals to come in and provide an assessment for equipment to help keep them safe and improve independence.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs. People and their relatives raised no concerns about how they were supported to receive information. The registered manager told us the care planning system had the accessible information standards built in to ensure they could meet their duties and responsibilities. They described being able to produce information in different formats and gave the example of producing large print care plans and invoices for 2 people using the service. The registered manager told us peoples individual communication needs were assessed, and care plans were in place to ensure these needs were met. Staff explained they helped people to understand information by discussing it with them in a clear and accessible way, and they sought support from the manager if additional clarification was required.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result. People and their relatives told us they had no concerns about the service they received but felt the registered manager took any concerns raised seriously and they were resolved. A relative told us, “Although there may have been minor glitches along the way I have no concerns or complaints as the provider has always been ultra responsive to requests or concerns. I am proactive in raising any issues and have always been highly satisfied with the company’s response.” Staff told us they understood how to support people to raise complaints and would always try to sort things out or report issues to the office if people raised any issues with them. The registered manager told us they had a complaints policy in place and people, and their relatives were made aware of how to raise any concerns. There was a system in place to log any concerns, investigate and provide a response. Complaints were also reviewed to draw learning. We saw people had raised concerns about their care calls and staffing issues and the registered manager had responded to these providing a resolution.

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. The registered manager had systems in place to ensure people had equal access to support from the service. For example, they regularly used job fairs to encourage an increase in staff recruitment from some communities that were underrepresented in their workforce. People were supported by staff who had received training in equality and diversity and understood the specific needs of people requiring the service.

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this. The registered manager had included equality and diversity and human rights expectations within the service standards to ensure the service was inclusive. Information about peoples protected characteristics was included in care plans to ensure they received person-centred care to achieve their outcomes. For example, care plans gave staff information about the individuals background, culture, religion and what was important to them.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life. There was no one receiving end of life care at the time of the inspection; however, systems were in place to support people if needed. The registered manager had put systems in place to ensure people were supported to plan including planning for when people were at the end of their life. Assessments were carried out where needed and support to source other professional support was given, checks were done with people their relatives and staff and care plans were updated. Support continued for relatives and staff after a person’s death. The registered manager told us staff received specific training in providing end-of-life care and they had a specific package which they put in place in these circumstances to offer the right level of individual support.