During an assessment under our new approach
Bluebird Care (Wiltshire North) is a homecare agency providing the regulated activity personal care to people living with dementia, mental health conditions, people with physical disabilities, people over 65 years of age and people under 65 years of age. At the time of our assessment there were 83 people receiving a regulated service. We visited the service on 22 June 2025. The inspection was carried out because of the length of time since the last assessment.
At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting three people with a learning disability and autistic people.
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. The provider was meeting the expectations set out within ‘Right support, right care, right culture’. This is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.
The provider demonstrated exceptional practice in ensuring the service was effective. The provider had embedded a strong, proactive safety culture that prioritised openness, transparency and continuous learning. Staff and leaders consistently demonstrated an advanced understanding of assessing people’s needs, and monitoring outcomes.
People were fully involved in decisions about their care, and care plans contained detailed, dynamic risk assessments tailored to individual needs. Leaders worked collaboratively with healthcare professionals and families to ensure there were person centred care plans and emergency protocols. This approach empowered people to maintain independence and control over their lives.
Environmental safety was embedded into everyday practice. Staff were trained to identify hazards and escalate concerns promptly, supported by regular competency checks and scenario-based learning. Proactive referrals ensured people’s care requirements were adapted to meet changing needs, enabling people to feel safe and respected in their own environment.
Staffing was consistently safe and effective. There were always enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs, and continuity of care was maintained even during sickness. Recruitment processes were effective, and training was embedded into practice through competency observations and team meetings. The provider shared future plans with us, such as employing a registered nurse and developing a core team of staffing to support with end-of-life care.
The provider demonstrated strong lessons learned from incidents and shared these through a range of formal and informal meetings and provided additional training to ensure continuous improvement.
Although feedback was sought by the provider, actions following feedback were not always documented. This meant that there was limited assurance that feedback had been consistently reviewed, trends identified, or appropriate improvements implemented and monitored.