Black Country Management Limited trading as Bluebird Care Walsall

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

Safe – this means we looked for evidence that people were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were safe and protected from avoidable harm.

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 had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. People and relatives did not raise any concerns about incidents happening or how these were managed. Staff understood the process for supporting people if they experienced an incident or fall and could describe how they reported and recorded any incidents. The registered manager told us they had a system in place to monitor any incidents and learning from these were shared with staff. Records showed incidents were logged and reviewed for learning and this was shared with staff in team meetings.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to establish and maintain safe systems of care, in which safety was managed or monitored. They made sure there was continuity of care, including when people moved between different services. People felt involved in their care and relatives felt staff engaged with them and other professionals when needed. A relative told us, “They will ring me if [person’s name] is poorly and get in touch with the doctor.” The registered manager told us there was a system in place to support people to transition into the service. This included having face to face meetings with people and their relatives to understand their needs and how they wanted these to be met. Staff told us they received information about people before going into their homes and this helped them understand people’s needs and preferences. An electronic records system was in place, enabling staff, people and their relatives to view up‑to‑date information and understand any changes in assessed needs.

The provider worked with people and healthcare partners to understand what being safe meant to them and the best way to achieve that. Staff concentrated on improving people’s lives while protecting their right to live in safety, free from bullying, harassment, abuse, discrimination, avoidable harm and neglect. The provider shared concerns quickly and appropriately. People and relatives told us staff helped to make people feel safe. A relative told us, “The quality and consistency of the care is very good.” Staff understood how to recognise abuse and could describe the actions they would take if they had any concerns. All staff had received training in understanding and recognising the signs of abuse and safeguarding processes. The registered manager ensured any incidents were reported to the appropriate body and had a system in place to share any learning from safeguarding incidents with staff. Records showed all incidents identified were reported to the appropriate body and actions taken were in line with local processes.

The provider worked with people to understand and manage risks by thinking holistically. Staff provided care to meet people’s needs that was safe, supportive and enabled people to do the things that mattered to them. People and their relatives felt staff understood people’s needs and managed risks to their safety. A relative told us, “[Person’s name] is very happy with the staff and feels very safe in their care.” Another relative told us, “[Person’s name] uses a hoist to enable their care. They feel very safe in their care.” Staff could describe how they supported people to minimise risks to their safety, for example when using equipment to help people transfer and when supporting people to prevent their skin from becoming sore. The registered manager told us they assessed risks to people’s safety and used this information to put plans in place to minimise the risks with regular reviews in place to review these risks. Records showed people had risks to their safety considered. For example, moving and handling, skin integrity, falls and mobility risks were considered, and plans put in place to meet the individual needs and reduce the risks.

The provider detected and controlled potential risks in the care environment. They made sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. People and relatives raised no concerns with how staff supported them to maintain a safe environment. The registered manager told us a risk assessment was in place which considered environmental risks for example, outside the house, driveways, lighting, key safes, stairs, and equipment. Staff confirmed they had access to this information to support them with providing safe care. Records confirmed there was consideration of environmental risks which included checks on fire safety and people had an individual evacuation plan in place in the event of an emergency.

The provider made sure there were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff, who received effective support, supervision and development. They worked together well to provide safe care that met people’s individual needs. People and their relatives told us that staff arrived on time, stayed for the full duration of visits, and had the experience and training needed to support them safely and effectively. A person told us, “The staff arrive on time and stay as long as they should.” Another person told us, “They are well trained and experienced. Their care is really person centred.” A relative told us, “The staff arrive on time and have never missed a call. They are regular and [person’s name] knows them all.” Another relative told us, “The staff are well trained and good at their jobs.” Staff told us they received an induction and regular updates to their training. The registered manager told us they had checks in place to confirm staff were suitable to work with people as part of their recruitment process. Records we saw confirmed what we were told.

The provider assessed and managed the risk of infection. They detected and controlled the risk of it spreading and shared concerns with appropriate agencies promptly. People and their relatives told us staff used personal protective equipment (PPE) when attending calls. Staff told us they always had access to PPE and could describe how they used this. Staff told us they received infection prevention control training. The registered manager told us they carried out regular checks on staff infection prevention control practice and addressed any concerns they identified with staff. Records we saw supported what we were told.

The provider made sure that medicines and treatments were safe and met people’s needs, capacities and preferences. Staff involved people in planning, including when changes happened. Most people we spoke with managed their own medicines. Where people received support with medicines they raised no concerns. A person told us, “The staff apply cream to my skin.” A relative told us, “[Person’s name] medication is regularly reviewed, and all information is in the care plan.” Staff told us they received training in how to administer medicines safely. The registered manager told us staff were trained annually and had their competency checked every 3 months, records we saw supported this. A policy was in place which set out how staff should administer medicines safely in line with national guidance and all medicines administration was recorded in an electronic records system. Where people had been prescribed ‘as required’ medicines there was not a documented protocol giving instructions on when this should be administered. However, staff could describe how they administered these medicines and the registered manager took immediate action following the inspection to put a protocol in place for everyone who needed them.