Bluebird Care (Mid Staffs)

Updated 25 April 2019

The inspection:

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act, 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 carried out by one inspector. There was also an Expert by Experience who made phone calls to people who used the service and their relatives. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of service.

Service and service type:

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides care to people living in their own houses or flats. It provides a service to people with a learning disability, older people, people with physical disabilities, people who have dementia, people that have sensory impairment and younger adults. Not everyone using the service receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

The inspection was announced and we gave the agency 48 hours’ notice. This was because the service is a domiciliary care agency and we needed to be sure someone would be in the office when we visited.

The inspection site visit took place on 12 March 2019 by one inspector and the Expert by Experience made phone calls to people who used the service and their relatives on 13 and 14 March 2019.

What we did:

We used the information we held about the service, including notifications, to plan our inspection. A notification is information about events that by law the registered manager should tell us about, for example; safeguarding concerns, serious injuries, and deaths that have occurred at the service. We also used information the provider sent to us in the Provider Information Return (PIR) to formulate our inspection plan. A PIR is key information we require from providers on an annual basis giving us key information about the service.

We spoke to five people who use the service, four relatives, two care workers, the care manager and the registered manager. We viewed three care plans for people, and medicines records. We looked at documents relating to the management and administration of the service such as audits, accidents and incidents and compliments and complaints.

Updated 25 April 2019

About the service:

Bluebird Care (Mid Staffs) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to people with a learning disability, older people, people with physical disabilities, people who have dementia, people that have sensory impairment and younger adults. At the time of the inspection there were 61 people receiving personal care and support from the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

Care and support was tailored to meet the needs of individuals and delivered to ensure flexibility, choice and continuity of care. People were supported safely with their personal care by staff that knew them well. People were supported to be independent and their choices and preferences were respected and known to staff. Staff were caring, kind and respectful. People’s privacy and dignity was promoted.

People had support plans and risk assessments in place to meet their individual needs. Staff supported people with their individual preferences and people’s needs were met.

Lessons were learnt when things went wrong and systems were improved if needed. The managers were responsive and approachable to people that used the service and to the staff. The registered manager had a clear understanding of their responsibilities of their registration with us.

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection the service was rated as; Good (report published 06 July 2016)

Why we inspected:

This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk