Background to this inspection
Updated
24 April 2019
The inspection:
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team:
The inspection was completed by one adult social care 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:
Bluebird Care is a domiciliary care service. The service provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes in Uttoxeter and the surrounding areas
The service had a manager registered with The Care Quality Commission (CQC). This means that they and the registered 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 visit. This is because it is a small service and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure that they would be in the office when we visited.
What we did:
Before our inspection we looked at information we held about the service. The registered provider had completed a Provider Information Return form (PIR). A PIR is a form we ask registered providers to submit annually detailing what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make. We reviewed information stored on our database, such as notifications that the registered manager is required, by law, to submit to us as and when incidents had occurred. We also spoke to the Local authority and commissioning team to gain feedback about the service. We used all this information to formulate a 'planning tool'; this helped us to identify key areas we needed to focus on during the inspection.
The inspection took place on the 28 February 2019
During the inspection we spoke with one director, registered manager, one deputy manager and four members of staff. We also contacted four people who were receiving support and two relatives. We checked three care records of people in receipt of support, recruitment records of four members of staff and other records relating to the overall management and quality monitoring of the service.
Updated
24 April 2019
About the Service:
Bluebird Care provides is a domiciliary care service. The service provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes in Uttoxeter and the surrounding areas. At the time of the inspection 10 people were receiving support.
People’s experience of using this service:
Improvements had been made in the area of Mental Capacity. The registered provider complied with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Staff received training around MCA, they understood and respected people’s right to make their own decisions and where possible, encouraged people to make decisions about the care they received.
People’s level of risk was appropriately assessed, reviewed and effectively risk managed. Staff told us that they were provided with relevant information in a timely and effectively manner and able to provide the correct level of support that was required.
Staff received safeguarding training and were familiar with the safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures; they knew how to report any concerns and the importance of keeping people safe.
Staff told us they were fully supported by the management team, that they received regular supervision and were provided with learning, training and development opportunities.
The registered manager ensured that staffing levels and recruitment practices were safely managed. People received continuity of care from regular staff who were subject to the appropriate pre-employment checks.
Medication procedures were safely in place. Staff received medication administration training and competency levels were regularly checked.
There was an up to date medication policy in place and staff had access to this policy at their convenience.
People were treated with dignity, respect and their independence was encouraged by staff who supported them. We received positive comments from people who received support from Bluebird Care staff.
Confidential and sensitive information was safely stored and protected in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
Care records contained detailed information about people’s likes, preferences and wishes; staff were familiar with the importance of providing ‘person-centred’ care and developing positive relationships with people they supported.
The registered provider had a complaints policy in place; people were provided with complaint information from the outset and knew who to raise concerns with.
The quality and safety of the care was monitored, assessed and reviewed. The registered manager was committed to providing care that was high-quality and person-centred.
A range of different quality assurance measures were in place; these helped the registered manager to identify areas of strength but also areas of development that needed to be addressed.
Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection service was rated ‘Good’ (report published August 2016). At this inspection we found that the registered provider continued to provide a 'good' provision of care. The evidence we reviewed and feedback we received continued to support the rating of ‘good’; there was no evidence or information from our inspection or ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns.
Why we inspected: This was a planned, announced inspection to confirm that the service remained 'good'.