A & D Hammonds Ltd

Updated 12 October 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.

This inspection took place on the 22 September 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

The inspection was carried out by one 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.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information we already held about this service. This included details of its registration, previous inspection reports and any notifications they had sent us. Before the inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We contacted the local authority with responsibility for commissioning care from the service to seek their views.

We spoke with ten people who used the service and two relatives. We spoke with eleven staff including the nominated individual, registered manager, office administrator, a field supervisor, a care coordinator and six care assistants. We looked at the care records for six people. We reviewed the recruitment and supervision for six staff and the training records for all staff. We looked at medicine records and quality assurance and monitoring systems. We sampled some policies and procedures including the complaints, whistleblowing and safeguarding procedures.

Updated 12 October 2017

Bluebird Care (Barking and Dagenham) is a domiciliary care agency providing support with personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of inspection 52 people were using the service. At the previous inspection of this service in August 2015 it was rated as Good. We made one requirement because the service had failed to notify the Care Quality Commission of allegations of abuse. During this inspection we found this issue had been addressed and the service remained Good.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

There were enough staff working at the service to meet people’s needs and robust staff recruitment procedures were in place. Appropriate safeguarding procedures were in place and people told us they felt safe using the service. Risk assessments provided information about how to support people in a safe manner. Medicines were managed safely.

Staff received training and supervision to support them in their role. People were able to make choices for themselves where they had the capacity to do so and the service operated within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Where the service supported people with meal preparation people told us they were able to choose what they ate and drank. People were supported to access relevant health care professionals.

People told us they were treated with respect and that staff were caring. Staff had a good understanding of how to promote people’s privacy, independence and dignity.

People’s needs were assessed before they began using the service. Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people’s individual needs and these were subject to review. The service had a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to make a complaint.

Staff and people spoke positively about the registered manager. The service had various quality assurance and monitoring systems in place, which included seeking the views of people on the running of the service.