Bluebird Care (Wiltshire North)

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect and involved as partners in their care.

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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Daily notes showed staff communicated well with people making sure information was understood. People’s privacy was upheld by staff who respected people’s personal space and kept sensitive information confidential. People told us staff were kind, respectful and patient. Comments from people included, “Staff always preserve my dignity” and “staff know my needs, they always prioritise needs over time.” Staff told us attention to detail was important to them. Comments included, “I’ll always check to make sure there is nothing that will need doing when I’ve left” and “For me, it’s about making sure people are comfortable and offering to brush people’s hair, acts of kindness when I know it will make a difference to how they feel.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People told us staff treated them as individuals and met their specific needs. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of people they supported and described the individual approach they took to meeting people’s needs. Details of people’s individual needs were reflected in their support plans, including specific ways in which people communicated and how they preferred support to be provided. People had individual dynamic risk assessments which changed in line with their fluctuating abilities.

One relative told us, “I can see what support [relative] has received, what they have done, and this shows me [relative] is getting what they need. I find the personalised daily notes important as I live a long way away from [relative] and I like to know what they have been doing.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Care records contained details of what support people required from staff and what they could do independently.

Staff told us they supported people to be as independent as they could. This included arranging regular communication with occupational therapists and accessing GP related services when necessary. For example, there was evidence of when people’s needs changed. The provider consulted with the person to record their choices about next steps. Comments from staff included, “I always remind people I am not there to take their independence away” and “I know people’s abilities change from day to day so I always ask what they can do for themselves and what they might need a little help with.” The provider organised referrals and assessments from professionals so the person was able to receive timely specialist input, ensuring risks were appropriately assessed and managed. This had a positive impact on the person's quality of life, as support was tailored to their changing needs and helped them achieve better choice and control over their changed care needs.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded

to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff were skilled and compassionate in responding to both emotional and safeguarding needs. For example, they provided sensitive, individualised support to a person whose behaviour could challenge, helping them to process information and make decisions in a way that reflected their personal style. Where risks were identified, the provider acted swiftly and responsibly, making timely safeguarding referrals to protect people from harm.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they received the support they needed to do their job well.

Staff told us managers were open and they were able to share any concerns they had. Staff were confident managers would act on any concerns they raised. Comments from staff included, “We can talk and discuss anything we like,” “We are supported well” and “Communication is effective”. The registered manager supported staff with adjustments to their working pattern, for example due to being a non-driver or health conditions. Comments from staff included, “The company is flexible” and “The support we get from management is good” and “They do their best to support.” Staff told us they were invited to well-being meetings, managers confirmed this by showing us records of well-being days organised by the directors.