Bluebird Care (Eastbourne & Wealden)

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

People and their relatives were very positive about staff their approach compassion and kindness shown. People shared examples to support what they were saying. One told us, “I was unwell, and the staff would not leave me. They cleaned me up and called for the paramedics. They stayed with me until I felt better. It was around midnight; they were so kind.” A relative said, “The care and attention is remarkable. They are wonderful.”

Staff knew people well and as they worked in small teams were able to form trusting partnerships with people. Staff demonstrated empathy and kindness. One told us, “I love the job I love getting people safely in bed, all nice and warm and safe, and I know that is all because of me and so important to people.”

The registered manager confirmed staff had a caring approach. She explained that staff often went further than expected. “One staff member went out to a person who had fallen after she had finished work to provide support until emergency services and family arrived.”

Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect, and we were told they were always polite and professional.

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

Care plans were written to reflect people’s preferred, likes and dislikes and how they preferred to be addressed. Staff knew people well and there was a focus on an individual and tailored approach. Staff recognised people as unique individuals and responded to them as such. One staff member told us, “They all have such memories to talk about, they appreciate the time you spend with them. They tell you their memories and stories they educate you about the past, like memories about the war.”

Staff described their individual approach that took account of disability or particular interests, and provided the following comments, “One lady likes her laundry done in a certain way.” “One person is interested in world affairs, so staff read the papers and update themselves before going there, so they can talk and have a rapport with him.” “Another person has poor sight but loves strictly come dancing and staff describe the costumes when they visit during this time.”

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

Staff understood the importance of promoting people’s independence, supporting them to achieve daily tasks and activities for themselves whenever possible. People and relatives were positive about how staff promoted independence and choice for people. “Staff know the support to offer. She is very independent, and staff now have a good understanding of her and how she likes things done. Everything has dropped into place.”

Staff valued their role in supporting people to live as independently as possible in their own homes making their own choices about their life. One said, “I like making a difference, supporting people to live in their own homes. it’s so good that we are able to do this. People are able to continue to have their loved surroundings and continue to enjoy their pets as part of their family.” Another said, “We encourage independence encourage people to do what they can for as long as they can. One person gets into bathroom on their own, we ensure they are safe.” Occupational Therapists were involved in supporting people to achieve as much independence as possible providing equipment and support as needed.

Care records described how staff could promote independence and choice and support people’s well-being. For example, they described how they were supported to look after their loved pets.

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.

All feedback confirmed a satisfaction with the responsiveness of all staff and managers. People and relatives told us staff responded to people’s changing needs involving the managers quickly. All office staff and managers were available at the end of the telephone and visits could be changed to suit the needs of people. People and relatives said, “I cannot speak highly enough of the staff and service. The care and attention is remarkable. They keep you informed and up to date,” and “The staff are flexible they have had to stay longer and have in the past stayed until we have got there to take over.”

Regular feedback from staff was used to review people’s needs and ensure a quick and responsive service. During the site visit the registered manager was involved in an emergency review with the local authority as a person’s needs had been increasing. This had been reported back from staff which led to a review by one of the managers and contact with local authority to review needs and amount of support provided.

The provider cared about and promoted the well-being of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff all spoke positively about how they were treated by the provider, management team and their colleagues. The office was seen as a safe and welcoming space where staff came to chat and talk to each other face to face. Staff told us they felt valued and very well supported. Staff reflected on how they were supported to achieve a positive work life balance. Staff told us how they treated with compassion and kindness. One staff member said, “They support and understand me I have 2 kids, and it is hard work. There are holidays and then kids get sick They are always good at helping out and we help each other out it balances out.” Another told us, “All office staff are so supportive. I learn in a different way and so care plans are printed out for me and they go through them with me. They understand that I need extra support, and I may take longer to understand things.”

An on-call system operated to support staff at any time and staff told us communication across the service had improved. “We can always contact senior office staff at any time for support and advice.” “We all know what we are doing now we communicate between each other using a messaging service group and talking in the office.”

The managers had worked hard to improve staff well-being and had established a weekly newsletter more frequent staff meetings and 1 to 1 supervisions. This along with improved training and new services to support well-being, including free counselling and some discounts on purchases via an employer’s assistance computer programme.